Which expedition was led by Maupertuis during the 1730s geodetic missions?

Which expedition was led by Maupertuis during the 1730s geodetic missions?

• A. Lapland
• B. Peru
• C. Cayenne
• D. Paris

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is who led the northern leg of the French Geodesic Mission in the 1730s. Maupertuis commanded the Lapland expedition, sending scientists to measure a meridian arc in Lapland (around the Torne Valley near the Arctic Circle) during 1736–1737. The goal was to determine the shape of the Earth by comparing how a degree of latitude sizes line up at different places. This Lapland measurements, taken alongside the equatorial measurements carried out in Peru, helped show that the Earth is oblate—flattened at the poles—which aligned with Newton’s prediction. So, Maupertuis led the Lapland expedition. The Peru leg was led by La Condamine, and the Cayenne effort involved other members of the mission; Paris was not an expedition.

The main idea here is who led the northern leg of the French Geodesic Mission in the 1730s. Maupertuis commanded the Lapland expedition, sending scientists to measure a meridian arc in Lapland (around the Torne Valley near the Arctic Circle) during 1736–1737. The goal was to determine the shape of the Earth by comparing how a degree of latitude sizes line up at different places. This Lapland measurements, taken alongside the equatorial measurements carried out in Peru, helped show that the Earth is oblate—flattened at the poles—which aligned with Newton’s prediction. So, Maupertuis led the Lapland expedition. The Peru leg was led by La Condamine, and the Cayenne effort involved other members of the mission; Paris was not an expedition.