Thanks, Stuart. The limitations of my high-school-geometry-level education are apparent here. I welcome any correction, especially since the previously published editions (with the "t" as superscript) are almost certainly wrong. That said, I suspect that the vast majority of readers are as in-the-dark as I am.
Unfortunately, I think most of us are in the same predicament. With computer assistance nowadays, I wonder how many understand the mathematics behind how a sail is adjusted to capture the wind. It's fascinating passage in the story that the mathematics was discussed.
Part of what I absolutely love about the writing of POB is that for those, like me, who have no knowledge of seafaring or trigonometry can let the details pass us by in happy oblivion (like our dear doctor) while those who know and care can be assured that those details are technical and correct. To be able to satisfy both audiences is an element of his genius.
Not sure it's the tan^2 as you stated. cot = 1/tan. Therefore, I would expect some cot^2 unless the equation was re-expressed in sin or cos.
Thanks, Stuart. The limitations of my high-school-geometry-level education are apparent here. I welcome any correction, especially since the previously published editions (with the "t" as superscript) are almost certainly wrong. That said, I suspect that the vast majority of readers are as in-the-dark as I am.
Unfortunately, I think most of us are in the same predicament. With computer assistance nowadays, I wonder how many understand the mathematics behind how a sail is adjusted to capture the wind. It's fascinating passage in the story that the mathematics was discussed.
Part of what I absolutely love about the writing of POB is that for those, like me, who have no knowledge of seafaring or trigonometry can let the details pass us by in happy oblivion (like our dear doctor) while those who know and care can be assured that those details are technical and correct. To be able to satisfy both audiences is an element of his genius.