Medir la Tierra desde Quito: Jorge Juan y Antonio de Ulloa

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About this article

Level B2 Reading focus

What you'll learn

scientific expeditions, measurement, evidence, Spanish Enlightenment, B2 reading

This reading follows the Quito geodetic expedition, its triangulation work, its result on Earth's shape and the reports published by Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa.

After reading

Article learning block

Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.

15 items

Phrases for training

Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.

poner fin a una disputa

new

to settle a dispute

Poner fin a una disputa means to bring a disagreement to a conclusion.

Useful when a decision or evidence resolves a long-running disagreement.

sobre el terreno

new

in the field; on site

Sobre el terreno means in the actual place where practical work is done.

Useful for contrasting practical fieldwork with planning or theory.

dejó una lección más amplia

new

left a broader lesson

Dejó una lección más amplia introduces a conclusion whose importance goes beyond the immediate event.

Useful for moving from a specific example to a wider interpretation.

darla por sentada

new

to take it for granted

Darla por sentada means to accept a feminine idea or statement as true without checking it.

Useful when discussing assumptions and critical thinking.

Key words

Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.

Meridian

meridiano

meridian

A meridian is an imaginary line running from one pole to the other on Earth.

Essential vocabulary for geography and geodetic measurement.

Naval cadets

guardiamarinas

naval cadets

Guardiamarinas are people training to become naval officers.

Useful in historical texts about navies, voyages and scientific expeditions.

Triangulation

triangulación

triangulation

Triangulation is a measurement method that calculates positions or distances from triangles and their angles.

Useful for understanding surveying, maps and historical geodesy.

Flattened

achatada

flattened

Achatada describes a shape that is compressed or less rounded at some points.

Useful for describing physical shapes precisely.

Findings

hallazgos

findings

Hallazgos are results or discoveries obtained through research or observation.

Useful in reports about science, history and investigations.

Calculations

cálculos

calculations

Cálculos are mathematical operations used to obtain a numerical result.

Useful for discussing measurements, budgets and scientific work.

Instruments

instrumentos

instruments

Instrumentos are tools designed for a specific technical or scientific task.

Useful when describing experiments, measurement and fieldwork.

Grammar in context

Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.

Impersonal obligation in the past

Había que comparar

it was necessary to compare

Había que plus infinitive expresses a general obligation or necessity in the past without naming who had to act.

Useful for describing requirements in historical accounts.

Influence followed by the subjunctive

exigió que participaran

required two young naval cadets to participate

After exigió que, participaran is in the imperfect subjunctive because one authority required another group to act.

Useful for reporting past demands, orders and requests.

Concession with although

Aunque el objetivo principal era medir

although the main objective was to measure

Aunque followed by the indicative presents a known fact and contrasts it with another true statement.

Useful for adding a contrast without rejecting the first fact.

The more, the more

Cuanto más fiables fueran los datos, más sólida sería la conclusión.

the more reliable the data were, the stronger the conclusion would be

Cuanto más..., más... links two quantities that change together. Here the imperfect subjunctive and conditional present a general hypothetical relation.