Astronomer of the Week #2

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Subject: Astronomer of the Week #2 Wed Jan 02 2008, 10:59

I liked the previous works so much I decided to keep this class. This time is I Sin turn, a Chinese astronomer.
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Part 1

Give me a short biography of "I Sin" focusing most on his influence in Astronomy, 250 words minimum!

90 Points

Part 2

I want you to imagine that "I Sin" was a wizard and write an episode of his life as a wizard, how would magic help him? You can even attribute to magic one of his discoveries or achievements. (350 words minimum!)

150 points

Bonus

Post a picture of I Sin.

10 points

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Remember to site your sources (websites used) and no copying and pasting!

Subject: Re: Astronomer of the Week #2 Mon Jan 14 2008, 16:35

Part 1

I Sin was also known as “Yi Xing” he was a Vietnamese monk with a Chinese name. As I Sin was a Vietnamese monk, Chinese people changed it to “Yi Xing”. I Sin created the astronomical celestial globe which was the first to feature of a clockwork escapement mechanism, the first in a long tradition of the Chinese astronomical clockworks.

In the 8th century, I sin was put in charge of the terrestrial-astronomical survey which had several purposes. This survey was used to obtain astronomical data which in turn could help in predicting solar eclipses. This new system helped in the making of the calendar and could help fix any problems from the calendar system. Also there was a measurement system that could determine the length of a portion of the meridian. This could help in confusion that was created from lack of practice when using different shadow lengths from the sun. This works by the sun being observed during two points at the same time to determine the ground distance between them. The Greeks processed and used this in 276-196 BC.

I Sin was given a total of 13 test sites which was throughout the entire empire. The test sites started from Jiaozhou in Vietnam at latitude 17°N to south of Lake Baikal – Latitude 50°N. Each site had a total of 3 observations that were carried out by I Sin. The main thing he looked for was the height of the Polaris, the length in the summer and winter shadows. Then the latitudes were deciphered from this data, while I Sin was able to calculate a length of 1 degree of meridian. With each variation the length of degree of meridian was able to criticize earlier by other scholars which were permanently fixed by estimates. For each shadow was able to depict a different measurement of a time line.

Part 2

(will come later)

Bonus
Astronomer of the Week #2 Isin

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Xing

Subject: Re: Astronomer of the Week #2 Wed Feb 13 2008, 15:27

Part 1

I Sin who is sometimes also known as Yi Xing by many was a monk during the Tang Dynasty. During his time he was able to calculate the locations of all of the major stars in the sky. With these few calculations that he had made he was then able to calculate the total length of the meridian line which his guess was around one hundred and twenty four kilometers. He was very well known for the calculations that he did. I Sin was the first known person to make this calculated guess of the distance of the meridian line by using the calculations of the major stars in the sky. Right around the year 723 he and some of his fellow colleagues were able to pull together an armillary orb with which he could move it to be in synchronization with the arrangements of the heavenly bodies that were in the night sky. He was also well known for his extraordinary memory. He was able to remember many things that many others would of have forgotten for a long period of time. He could tell you something that could have had happened awhile ago that some would not be able to remember.

Part 2

If I Sin was a wizard he could of have used a lot of things to help him out during his life. I Sin had done many calculations and if he was a wizard he could have had used magic to help speed it up. He could of have bewitch a quil to do the calculations himself. While the pen was writing and figuring out the information that he had desired then he could of went and done other things. He could have had spent more time with his friends or more time building other devices that he could of have used for Astronomy. If he wanted to do the calculations himself without the help of a pen he could of have drink some kind of potion that would help speed up his actions. If he was to do this then he could of have done his calculations in half the time than what it had taken him to do them. He could have had them done in no time leaving him with more time to do other things. If he had magic then when he went to build his devises he could of have built it himself and he wouldn’t of had to of had to ask his colleagues for help. He could of have used many different spells to place the materials where he would of have needed them. Even if I Sin would of have wanted his colleagues to help him he still could of have used magic to help speed up the time that it took to make it. Then if he really wanted to he could of have then used his wand to make a duplicate of it. Then if he had to ever had to move it then he could of have sued magic to transport it to his desired location. That is some of the things that he could of have used magic for.

Sources:
http://203.192.15.114/web/webportal/W5042140/Uadmin/A5046308.html

Subject: Re: Astronomer of the Week #2 Fri Feb 15 2008, 04:49

Herbaceoustraitorous (45 HP):
stephy (50 HP):

Please remember that with the new classes rules
you may keep doing classes after they're marked as they are now always
open, so I'll keep waiting for your works.

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