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The Plane Scale and stereographic projection in early navigation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2025

Robin G. Stuart
Robin G. Stuart*
Affiliation:
Independent Scholar, United States
*
Email: robinstuart@earthlink.net
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Abstract

The Plane or Plain Scale is a navigational device that dates back to the early 1600s but has long since ceased to be used in practice. It could perform the function of a protractor and be used to solve problems in plane trigonometry. In addition, coupled with a suite of remarkable geometric constructions based on stereographic projection, the Plane Scale could efficiently solve problems in spherical trigonometry and hence navigation on a sphere. The methods used seem today to be largely unknown. This paper describes the Plane Scale and how it was used.

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headinghistorynavigation

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Type
Research Article
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The Journal of Navigation , First View , pp. 1 - 17
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Royal Institute of Navigation

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