Live Quiz Arena
🎁 1 Free Round Daily
⚡ Enter ArenaQuestion
← HistoryWhich limitation arises when using a brass astrolabe to measure stellar altitudes over decades in a coastal environment?
A)Parallax error due to lunar cycles
B)Material deformation from thermal stress
C)Erosion of markings due to oxidation✓
D)Inaccurate readings from magnetic interference
💡 Explanation
Continuous salt exposure causes oxidation, so markings erode over decades, as a consequence of humidity and salinity, impairing accuracy. Therefore erosion dominates, rather than parallax, deformation or magnetic issues, which are either less time dependent or avoided through careful instrument handling and non-ferrous construction.
🏆 Up to £1,000 monthly prize pool
Ready for the live challenge? Join the next global round now.
*Terms apply. Skill-based competition.
Related Questions
Browse History →- Which risk increases when Roman road builders laid paving stones directly on unstable subsoil?
- During 18th-century shipbuilding, which mechanism limits ship size despite improved construction techniques?
- Which degradation mechanism limited the lifespan of early Mesopotamian bronze tools?
- Which constraint limited the accuracy of Ibn al-Haytham's early pinhole cameras (camera obscura) used for solar observation?
- Which soil degradation risk increased significantly in post-classic Mesoamerica due to intensive maize agriculture?
- Which error increases substantially when navigating at high latitudes using a sextant during winter solstice?
