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geodesy
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Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust
Everything Earth
Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust
The Solid Earth Quiz
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Albert Einstein in Washington, D.C. c. 1921-1923. Physicist
The Solar Eclipse That Made Albert Einstein a Science Celebrity
Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)
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Washington DC.,USA, April 26, 1989. Supporters for and against legal abortion face off during a protest outside the United States Supreme Court Building during Webster V Health Services
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African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.
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General Pershing's troops moving into Mexico in 1917 during World War I.
Timeline of World War I
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
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Category: Science & Tech
Key People:
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel
Adrien-Marie Legendre
Sir George Gabriel Stokes, 1st Baronet
Ruggero Giuseppe Boscovich
Related Topics:
geoid
spherical Earth
globe
hypsometric curve
Geodetic Reference System 1967
See all related content →

geodesy, scientific discipline concerned with the precise figure of the Earth and its determination and significance. Until the advent of satellites, all geodesic work was based on land surveys made by triangulation methods employing a geodesic coordinate system (one used to study the geometry of curved surfaces). It is now possible to use satellites in conjunction with the land-based system to refine knowledge of the Earth’s shape and dimensions; this endeavour is sometimes termed satellite geodesy.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.