How do we measure the height of mountains?

Question

I don’t think there is a measuring tape long enough…

In: 3

Answer 1

One way is to put a stick in the ground, look at the mountain past that stick and mark where the summit and the base of the mountain were on it. Then measure the length of the stick between the two marks and multiply it by the ratio of the distances from your eye to the mountain and to the stick. The result would be an approximation of the mountain height. Obviously actual scientific methods are somewhat more sophisticated, but this one works too.

Edit: calculating the height of the mountain relative to sea level (as such things are usually cited) requires adding the elevation of the base of the mountain.