how did people figure out elevation before technology using only sticks and string?
In: Engineering
Well, they didn’t. Before technology would be before writing, so we would have no way of knowing how (or if) people measured elevations and heights. They almost certainly didn’t do it using only sticks and strings (save for very small things).
Ancient peoples (well after the development of technology) would measure heights and elevations using mostly math, rather than devices. Trigonometry can be used to give you some fairly good measurements (or estimates). Simply measure the distance from the base of the object to some point away, then the angle from that point to the top of the object, and you can then figure out the height.
This has pretty much been the technique for millennia, only improving our measurement tools. It really wasn’t until the invention of satellites that we could use more direct methods.
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