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Spotlight_podcasts_2, The East-West Position Clock

The East-West Position Clock

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Mike Procter. Voice 2

And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

The year was 1707. The English ships were in heavy seas. The weather was bad, and they were lost. The chief of the ships was Admiral Shovell. His officers made an estimate of the ships' position. But they were wrong. Suddenly, someone shouted ‘Land!' This call filled the sailors with fear. There should be no land here. They were in the wrong place. Four of the ships crashed into the land. Over 1,600 men died that night. Only 26 survived. It was one of the worst British sea accidents in history. Today's Spotlight is on one unexpected result of this accident. Voice 2

At the time of the accident, England depended on the shipping industry. Ships brought the people of England sugar, spices, and tea. The people who sailed the ships needed good maps.

Voice 1

But they also needed something more. They needed to avoid accidents like the loss of Admiral Shovell's ships. To do this they needed to know exactly where they were. If you look at almost any map, it is divided into small squares by lines. The lines that go from east to west are the latitude lines. And the lines that go from north to south are the longitude lines. Sailors could estimate their north-south position, or latitude, easily. They could measure it from the sun and the stars. But they could not measure their east-west position, or longitude, by that method. They needed a good way to measure the ship's ‘longitude'. Voice 2

King Charles the Second of England knew how important it was to solve this problem. If the problem was not solved, more ships could be lost. In 1675, King Charles ordered the building of the Royal Observatory. The Observatory was a place where people could study the stars. They could work on the problem of establishing longitude at sea. The King created the Observatory in Greenwich. The first chief of the Observatory was John Flamsteed. Flamsteed worked hard, but he could not solve the longitude problem. And after the loss of Admiral Shovell's ships, there was even more pressure to find a solution. So in 1714 the British Government offered a prize of GBP 20,000. The prize would go to the first person who could find a method of measuring longitude at sea. Some people thought that this would never be possible.

Voice 1

Our story moves on, to one man - John Harrison. He was born in Yorkshire, England in 1693. He was 21 years old when the government offered the prize. Like his father, he was a carpenter. He made things with wood. He did not have much education. But John was very good at making clocks. At that time, all clocks were made from wood. But John made many improvements to the clock design. His clocks did not break, like other clocks. And his clocks were very accurate. Each month they lost or gained no more than one second. They were more accurate than many of the best clocks in London. Three of these clocks still exist. And they are still very accurate!

Voice 2

Harrison wanted to win the longitude prize of GBP 20,000.There was one simple way to estimate longitude. There are 24 longitude lines. At each line, the time changes by one hour. The simple solution was time! Sailors needed to know the exact time in two places. First, they needed to know the time in their own location. Sailors could use the position of the sun and the stars to tell the time where they were. But the sailors also needed to know the time at the place where the ship had started its voyage. The difference between the two would tell them their distance from that location. If they knew that, they could work out their east-west position on the earth's surface. Voice 1

The problem was that clocks at that time were not very accurate. They became less accurate when the air temperature changed. Movement could also affect a clock's accuracy. So could water. All of these caused problems for clocks on ships! But Harrison knew that he could make a clock that would keep time during a sea voyage. Such a clock is called a chronometer.

Voice 2

It took Harrison five years to make his first chronometer. It performed well, but he continued to make changes to improve his designs. Some of these developments are still used in clocks and machines today.

Voice 1

Harrison's fourth chronometer was very different from the other three. It was much smaller. It looked like a large watch. Harrison's son William took the new improved chronometer with him on two trips to the West Indies. On both of these long sea trips the watch kept time very well - well enough for Harrison to win the prize.

Voice 2

However, a group of experts would decide who should get the prize. The group was called the Board of Longitude. And the Board was not satisfied with Harrison's clocks. Harrison was a carpenter. He had no education. The group wanted to make sure that Harrison had really made the watch. And they wanted to test it more, to make sure that it really worked. They asked Harrison to tell them how he had made it. At first Harrison was not willing to give away his secret. But in 1765, six experts visited Harrison and examined the watch. The Board gave Harrison only half of the prize money.

Voice 1

Harrison was now almost 80 years old. The Board still refused to pay him the rest of the prize money. So Harrison decided to appeal to the King, George III. The King tested the watch himself. He found it to be very good. The King soon agreed that John and William Harrison had been unfairly treated. But the Board of Longitude still refused to pay the money.

Voice 2

So in April 1773, John and William Harrison appealed to the British government. And the appeal was successful. John Harrison received almost all of his money. But it was the government, not the Board, who gave it to him. John Harrison died on the 23rd of March 1776. He had solved the longitude problem, for ships to find their east-west position. And he was finally recognized for his work.

Voice 1

The writers of today's programme were Shelagh Godwin and Mike Procter. The producer was Nick Mangeolles. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .programme is called ‘The East-West Position Clock.' Voice 2

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

The East-West Position Clock Hodiny s polohou východ-západ Die Ost-West-Positionsuhr El reloj de posición Este-Oeste L'orologio di posizione est-ovest 東西位置時計 O relógio de posição Este-Oeste Doğu-Batı Pozisyon Saati 东西方位时钟

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Mike Procter. Voice 2

And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live. 世界のどこに住んでいても、人々は理解しやすいです。

Voice 1

The year was 1707. その年は1707年でした。 The English ships were in heavy seas. Anglické lodě byly na rozbouřeném moři. The weather was bad, and they were lost. The chief of the ships was Admiral Shovell. His officers made an estimate of the ships' position. Jeho důstojníci odhadli polohu lodí. But they were wrong. Ale mýlili se. Suddenly, someone shouted ‘Land!' Najednou někdo zakřičel 'Přistát!' This call filled the sailors with fear. Toto volání naplnilo námořníky strachem. There should be no land here. Neměla by tu být žádná půda. They were in the wrong place. Four of the ships crashed into the land. Over 1,600 men died that night. Té noci zemřelo přes 1600 mužů. Only 26 survived. Přežilo pouze 26. It was one of the worst British sea accidents in history. Today's Spotlight is on one unexpected result of this accident. Dnešní Spotlight se zabývá jedním neočekávaným výsledkem této nehody. Voice 2

At the time of the accident, England depended on the shipping industry. |||||||||||industrie V době neštěstí byla Anglie závislá na lodním průmyslu. Ships brought the people of England sugar, spices, and tea. les navires||||||||| Lodě přivážely obyvatelům Anglie cukr, koření a čaj. The people who sailed the ships needed good maps. Lidé, kteří se plavili na lodích, potřebovali dobré mapy.

Voice 1

But they also needed something more. They needed to avoid accidents like the loss of Admiral Shovell's ships. Potřebovali se vyhnout nehodám, jako je ztráta lodí admirála Shovella. To do this they needed to know exactly where they were. K tomu potřebovali přesně vědět, kde jsou. If you look at almost any map, it is divided into small squares by lines. Pokud se podíváte na téměř jakoukoli mapu, je rozdělena na malé čtverečky pomocí čar. The lines that go from east to west are the latitude lines. ||||||||||latitude| Čáry, které jdou z východu na západ, jsou čáry zeměpisné šířky. And the lines that go from north to south are the longitude lines. |||||||||||longitude| |||||||||||vertical| A čáry, které jdou ze severu na jih, jsou čáry zeměpisné délky. Sailors could estimate their north-south position, or latitude, easily. Námořníci mohli snadno odhadnout svou severojižní polohu neboli zeměpisnou šířku. They could measure it from the sun and the stars. Mohli to měřit ze slunce a hvězd. But they could not measure their east-west position, or longitude, by that method. ||||||||||Längengrad||| Touto metodou však nedokázali změřit svou východozápadní polohu neboli zeměpisnou délku. They needed a good way to measure the ship's ‘longitude'. Potřebovali dobrý způsob, jak změřit „zeměpisnou délku“ lodi. Voice 2

King Charles the Second of England knew how important it was to solve this problem. Anglický král Karel Druhý věděl, jak důležité je vyřešit tento problém. If the problem was not solved, more ships could be lost. Pokud by se problém nevyřešil, mohlo dojít ke ztrátě dalších lodí. In 1675, King Charles ordered the building of the Royal Observatory. |||||||||Observatoire V roce 1675 nařídil král Karel stavbu Královské observatoře. The Observatory was a place where people could study the stars. They could work on the problem of establishing longitude at sea. Mohli by pracovat na problému stanovení zeměpisné délky na moři. The King created the Observatory in Greenwich. The first chief of the Observatory was John Flamsteed. Flamsteed worked hard, but he could not solve the longitude problem. And after the loss of Admiral Shovell's ships, there was even more pressure to find a solution. A po ztrátě lodí admirála Shovella byl ještě větší tlak na nalezení řešení. So in 1714 the British Government offered a prize of GBP 20,000. V roce 1714 tedy britská vláda nabídla cenu 20 000 GBP. The prize would go to the first person who could find a method of measuring longitude at sea. Cena by byla udělena tomu, kdo jako první najde způsob měření zeměpisné délky na moři. Some people thought that this would never be possible. Někteří lidé si mysleli, že to nikdy nebude možné.

Voice 1

Our story moves on, to one man - John Harrison. Náš příběh se posouvá dál, k jednomu muži - Johnu Harrisonovi. He was born in Yorkshire, England in 1693. He was 21 years old when the government offered the prize. Like his father, he was a carpenter. He made things with wood. Dělal věci ze dřeva. He did not have much education. Neměl příliš velké vzdělání. But John was very good at making clocks. Ale John byl velmi dobrý ve výrobě hodin. At that time, all clocks were made from wood. V té době byly všechny hodiny vyrobeny ze dřeva. But John made many improvements to the clock design. Ale John provedl mnoho vylepšení designu hodin. His clocks did not break, like other clocks. Jeho hodiny se nelámaly, jako jiné hodiny. 彼の時計は他の時計のように壊れなかった。 And his clocks were very accurate. Each month they lost or gained no more than one second. Každý měsíc ztratili nebo získali ne více než jednu sekundu. 毎月、彼らは1秒以内に失ったり得たりしました。 They were more accurate than many of the best clocks in London. Three of these clocks still exist. Tři z těchto hodin stále existují. And they are still very accurate! |||||precise A stále jsou velmi přesné!

Voice 2

Harrison wanted to win the longitude prize of GBP 20,000.There was one simple way to estimate longitude. ハリソンは20,000ポンドの経度賞を獲得したいと考えていました。経度を推定する簡単な方法が1つありました。 There are 24 longitude lines. Existuje 24 linií zeměpisné délky. At each line, the time changes by one hour. Na každém řádku se čas změní o jednu hodinu. The simple solution was time! Jednoduchým řešením byl čas! Sailors needed to know the exact time in two places. Námořníci potřebovali znát přesný čas na dvou místech. First, they needed to know the time in their own location. Nejprve potřebovali znát čas ve své vlastní lokalitě. Sailors could use the position of the sun and the stars to tell the time where they were. Námořníci mohli využít polohu slunce a hvězd, aby zjistili čas, kde se nacházeli. But the sailors also needed to know the time at the place where the ship had started its voyage. しかし、船員たちは、船が航海を開始した場所の時刻も知る必要がありました。 The difference between the two would tell them their distance from that location. Rozdíl mezi nimi by jim prozradil jejich vzdálenost od tohoto místa. If they knew that, they could work out their east-west position on the earth's surface. |||||pourraient|déterminer||||||||| Kdyby to věděli, mohli by zjistit svou východozápadní polohu na zemském povrchu. Voice 1

The problem was that clocks at that time were not very accurate. Problém byl v tom, že tehdejší hodiny nebyly příliš přesné. They became less accurate when the air temperature changed. Při změně teploty vzduchu byly méně přesné. Movement could also affect a clock's accuracy. le mouvement|||||| |||||Uhr| Pohyb může také ovlivnit přesnost hodin. So could water. alors|pourrait| Stejně tak mohla voda. All of these caused problems for clocks on ships! To vše způsobilo problémy s hodinami na lodích! But Harrison knew that he could make a clock that would keep time during a sea voyage. Ale Harrison věděl, že dokáže vyrobit hodiny, které budou měřit čas během plavby po moři. Such a clock is called a chronometer. ||||||chronomètre ||||||Chronometer Takové hodiny se nazývají chronometr.

Voice 2

It took Harrison five years to make his first chronometer. Harrisonovi trvalo pět let, než vyrobil svůj první chronometr. It performed well, but he continued to make changes to improve his designs. Fungovalo to dobře, ale pokračoval ve změnách, aby zlepšil své návrhy. Some of these developments are still used in clocks and machines today. Některé z těchto vývojů se dodnes používají v hodinách a strojích.

Voice 1

Harrison's fourth chronometer was very different from the other three. de Harrison||||||||| Harrisonův čtvrtý chronometr byl velmi odlišný od ostatních tří. It was much smaller. Bylo mnohem menší. It looked like a large watch. Vypadalo to jako velké hodinky. Harrison's son William took the new improved chronometer with him on two trips to the West Indies. ||||||||||||||||Indes Harrisonův syn William vzal nový vylepšený chronometr s sebou na dvě cesty do Západní Indie. On both of these long sea trips the watch kept time very well - well enough for Harrison to win the prize. Na obou těchto dlouhých cestách po moři hodinky držely čas velmi dobře – dost dobře na to, aby Harrison vyhrál cenu. これらの長い海の旅の両方で、時計は非常によく時間を保ちました-ハリソンが賞を獲得するのに十分でした。

Voice 2

However, a group of experts would decide who should get the prize. O tom, kdo by měl cenu získat, by však rozhodla skupina odborníků. ただし、専門家のグループが誰が賞品を受け取るべきかを決定します。 The group was called the Board of Longitude. Skupina se jmenovala Board of Longitude. このグループは経度の歴史と呼ばれていました。 And the Board was not satisfied with Harrison's clocks. A rada nebyla spokojena s Harrisonovými hodinami. そして、理事会はハリソンの時計に満足していませんでした。 Harrison was a carpenter. Harrison byl tesař. He had no education. The group wanted to make sure that Harrison had really made the watch. Skupina se chtěla ujistit, že Harrison hodinky opravdu vyrobil. グループは、ハリソンが本当に時計を作ったことを確認したかった。 And they wanted to test it more, to make sure that it really worked. A chtěli to víc otestovat, aby se ujistili, že to opravdu funguje. They asked Harrison to tell them how he had made it. Požádali Harrisona, aby jim řekl, jak se mu to podařilo. At first Harrison was not willing to give away his secret. Harrison zpočátku nebyl ochoten prozradit své tajemství. 最初、ハリソンは彼の秘密を明かすことをいとわなかった。 But in 1765, six experts visited Harrison and examined the watch. Ale v roce 1765 navštívilo Harrisona šest odborníků a hodinky prozkoumali. しかし、1765年に6人の専門家がハリソンを訪れて時計を調べました。 The Board gave Harrison only half of the prize money. Správní rada dala Harrisonovi pouze polovinu peněžní odměny. 理事会はハリソンに賞金の半分しか与えませんでした。

Voice 1

Harrison was now almost 80 years old. Harrisonovi bylo nyní téměř 80 let. The Board still refused to pay him the rest of the prize money. Správní rada mu stále odmítala vyplatit zbytek peněz. So Harrison decided to appeal to the King, George III. Harrison se tedy rozhodl apelovat na krále Jiřího III. The King tested the watch himself. Král testoval hodinky sám. He found it to be very good. The King soon agreed that John and William Harrison had been unfairly treated. |||||||||||unfair behandelt| Král brzy souhlasil, že s Johnem a Williamem Harrisonem bylo zacházeno nespravedlivě. But the Board of Longitude still refused to pay the money. Rada pro zeměpisnou délku však stále odmítala peníze vyplatit.

Voice 2

So in April 1773, John and William Harrison appealed to the British government. V dubnu 1773 se tedy John a William Harrisonovi odvolali k britské vládě. And the appeal was successful. A odvolání bylo úspěšné. John Harrison received almost all of his money. John Harrison dostal téměř všechny své peníze. But it was the government, not the Board, who gave it to him. Ale byla to vláda, ne rada, kdo mu to dal. John Harrison died on the 23rd of March 1776. He had solved the longitude problem, for ships to find their east-west position. Vyřešil problém zeměpisné délky, aby lodě našly svou východozápadní polohu. And he was finally recognized for his work. A nakonec byl za svou práci oceněn.

Voice 1

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.