Thursday: October 30, 9:30 a.m. – 12 noon
Bethany Congregational Church 556 N. Hope Avenue, Santa Barbara
VISTAS member price: $20; non-member price: $30
Presented by: Norm Cohen
A man leaves his house and walks due south for one mile. Then he turns, walks one mile due west, and sees a bear. He then turns again and walks due north for one mile and is back home. What color is the bear? This riddle involves one of the biggest historical challenges to map-making. In this presentation, we’ll discuss some of the problems that faced ancient cartographers: How did they measure the size of the Earth? When did they realize it is not flat? How did they attempt to display the surface of a sphere on a flat sheet of paper? How were the heights of mountains determined long before there were satellites, drones, lasers, or even airplanes? We’ll cover these questions and more.