Polynesian Navigators and a fond farewell

[Tom Wayburn <twayburn@WT.NET>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bernard Cleyet" <anngeorg@PACBELL.NET>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 9:08 PM
Subject: Re: North


> The polynesians used the stars on the horizon (I don't remember
exactly
> how, but it work(s)ed well, as they were near the equator.).  A
feature
> article in the old Sci. Am.  That's how they populated all those
little
> (and not so little) isles.
>
> bc
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OK,  I don't recall where I heard this and it was at least 30 years ago:
The polynesians navigated with the aid of the diffraction patterns of
ocean waves interacting with the aforementioned islands, also.   The
nautical achievements of the Polynesians rank second to those of the
Vikings.    (Someone said that America should be called Erica, after
Eric the Red.)

Goodnight and goodbye for awhile.

 I feel very much indebted to the contributors to this list and I wish
all of you, including the silent ones, the very best  for the Holidays,
the New Year, and Forever.  (I shall be in touch with Dave Bowman when
the next draft of the chapter and the appendix is complete.  I welcome
e-mail from anyone, naturally.   I shall now unsubscribe as the physics
teaching part of my life is pretty much over and the list is very far
from my regular line of work.   But, God, how I love physics -- not to
mention its practitioners.  )

Tom Wayburn
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