#MountEverest has been scaled by many mountaineers but no body knew accurately the height of the highest peak, in the past - but it was calculated accurately by one #Bengali genius #Mathematician . Read the thread to know the fascinating details
In 1831, surveyor-general of India George #Everest was looking for a mathematician who had specialised in spherical #trigonometry to join the #GreatTrigonometricSurvey
#RadhanathSikdar, a student and a master in spherical trigonometry from Kolkata’s Hindu College (now #PresidencyUniversity) was handpicked for the #survey department of the #British government in the 1830s
Sikdar, at 19, was appointed in that post, as a “computor”. His salary was Rs 30 per month.
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As part of the team set up for the Great Trigonometric Survey started by George Everest, then surveyor general of India, Sikdar travelled across India to conduct #geodetic surveys.
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In 1852, Everest’s successor Andrew Scott Waugh asked Sikdar & his team to start measuring the the height of mountains
Sikdar used data from six observations and calculated the height of Peak XV and stated that it was taller than Kanchenjungha, which was till then considered the highest mountain peak in the world.
Peak XV came to be named after the previous surveyor-general, Everest with a calculated elevation of exactly 29,000 feet or 8,839.2 metres (today corrected to 8,848 metres).
Sikdar, a follower of #Derozio, was a brilliant student of Hindu College. He was equally famous for social service & played a leading role in passing of the Widow Remarriage Act, prohibition of child marriage & polygamy.
In 2004 GOI released a stamp honouring his contribution on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Great Trigonometric Survey in Chennai, India.
#Scroll has made a fabulous video explaining the History in brief as well as the Methodology used by Sikdar who computed near accurately the height of Mount Everest which is sheer inspiring & a brilliant tribute to the genius Mathematician .
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