The promises and pitfalls of precision: random and systematic error in physical geodesy, c. 1800–1910 (Q6553082)

This paper depicts the rise and fall of precision measurement as a primary methodological focus in 19th-century geodesy. The author contends that the main factors behind the increased precision achieved during the first half of the 1800s were (1) better measuring instruments, (2) the method of least squares and other mathematical/statistical techniques, and (3) a sizeable increase in the amount and geographic range of data available. However, as these improvements diminished the random noise, systematic discrepancies in data became more visible. Accordingly, in the second half of the century came a push for addressing these discrepancies via more sophisticated physical models of the Earth. An interesting facet of this history is the involvement in geodesy of several people who are better remembered for their contributions to other mathematical areas. Bessel and Listing figure prominently in the author's account, and others also appear, including Lambert, Laplace, and of course Gauss.