Knots, and Nautical Miles...

Did you ever wonder about why a Nautical Mile is not the same as a Regular Mile? Not likely, most people don't think about things like this. I do, I have time on my hands!

Well, there is absolutely no relation [other than the mathematical difference], between the two at all. A REGULAR MlLE is something that some King or Roman came up with.

A Nautical Mile is 'one minute of an arc of the great circle of the earth'. What does that mean? Well, here is what I figure it is... 

The 'Great Circle' is a way of saying 'the circumference of the earth at the equator'. There are 60 MlNUTES in a degree.  360 [degrees] x [60 minutes] equals 21600, knots.  Guess what folks, that is what a KNOT is at the equator.....it is 1/21600th of the circumference of the earth.

RECAP: 

Circumference [at equator]                            21,600 knots

Number of degrees in a circle                              360

One degree [at equator]                                           60 knots

One minute {1/60 of a degree} [at equator]  = ONE KNOT

How THEY came up with the circumference of the world has to be taken into account. Of this I have no knowledge at this time.

So, the earth is 21,600 knots at the equator. If a ship sailed at 21.6 knots per hour it would take 1000 hours to go around the world. Ships speed was measured in 'nautical miles per hour', or knots. The sea has given birth to many strange names, but that is for another day. 

Perhaps Nautical Miles should be Knotical Miles?

E. & O. E. [Which means, errors and omissions excepted!]

All of this is interesting but meaningless information. I think the knot has outlived it's usefulness and speed over land, air, water or space should be expressed in a common language. Try to get that done, good luck.

I love this stuff, meaningless or not. My grandfather Robins was a bit of an odd bird, excuse the pun. He also loved talking  and reading about things that, when I was young, thought were odd. Do you think that  history and genes are repeating themselves and Doug is becoming a bit of an 'odd bird'? I would be flattered if that was the case. 

Another two days at sea before we explore the Sultanate of Brunei. On the third largest lsland in the world, previously known as BORNEO.