Excerpt from Nautical Science: In Its Relation to Practical Navigation, Together With a Study of the Tides and Tidal Currents His work is intended for the general reader as well as for the practical navigator. It is an attempt to explain in non-technical language and without the use Of complicated mathematical formulas the fundamental facts and principles that form the basis Of all navigational methods. Navigation is founded upon Astronomy, but it is not essential for the navigator, in order to find his way from port to port, to know the methods by which the size, the shape, and the motions Of the earth are determined, and to be familiar with the physical characteristics Of the sun and stars. A knowledge of these astronomical facts is, however, necessary to those who wish to be thoroughly posted in the science of navigation. Every navigator knows how to use the data found in the Nautical Almanac, but few have the slightest idea how these data are collected and made available for the immediate needs Of the practical sailor. The Sumner method of finding one's position at sea is fundamental and, when combined with modern methods of reduction, is most simple and readily applied to all navigational problems. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.