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Introducing the 5th Edition of the Grimoire Quadrantis Telemetrum

BERLIN, 2021-12-02 - Just out of the Wndsn Applied Science Lab, after yet another year of research and development, the 5th edition of the manual describing and teaching the operating system of the Quadrant Telemeter once again refines and expands the knowledge base and power of the WNDSN suite of telemetry tools. Now available, the 5th edition features a number of entirely new sections, among which -- for the first time -- tutorials written by community members, and it presents some original research results on the functions of the Sine Quadrant.

"In considering the study of physical phenomena, not merely in its bearings on the material wants of life, but in its general influence on the intellectual advancement of mankind, we find its noblest and most important result to be a knowledge of the chain of connection, by which all natural forces are linked together, and made mutually dependent upon each other; and it is the perception of these relations that exalts our views and ennobles our enjoyments." --Alexander von Humboldt, Cosmos, Vol. 1, 1845

This 5th edition advances its function as a study guide and textbook both for the novice and expert user with an entirely new part laying out and codifying standard situations for applied trigonometry in the field, with worked examples for the various ways of both sighting and processing the acquired data.

The WNDSN community has enthusiastically embraced the tutorials from the 3rd and 4th edition and came up with a number of new ways of using the Quadrant Telemeter -- from using the Telemeter without any known dimensions to getting into the intricacies of Sun calculations, all the way to employing the Quadrant as a star compass, using both its sighting and its computing capabilities for night time navigation.

The hidden jewel of the 5th edition is the part on the Sine Quadrant, an ancient tool that looks like graph paper. It has been established before that the Sine Quadrant is a fully functional (super) computer for all things trigonometry and astronomy. Previous editions of the Grimoire presented the contemporary state of research in literature while trying to make it accessible with working examples. Some of that research and the resulting methods have been unsatisfying and some techniques have been hard to replicate. WNDSN invested a lot of time and custom-made graph paper in original research to solve the remaining issues and re-discover lost functions and methods to be now able to present the full set of instructions for the Sine Quadrant, an ode to this unique instrument and its inventors more than a millennium ago.

The manual still and fundamentally covers the concepts of distance, height, and altitude calculations together with a concise primer on the basics of practical astronomy and its terms and relations as needed for the mastery of time and space, from the moving parts of date and time to the intricacies of hour angles and right ascension.

The 5th edition contains all previous material, the majority of its graphics has been updated, both in the shape of minor polishing as well as in major redesigns to help the novice user with the onboarding process.

The 5th edition expands upon the 3rd and 4th edition, now clocking in at 538 pages, with 197 figures, 31 tables, 50 equations, 139 glossary terms, as well as 97 bibliography entries.

The changes to the 5th edition in numbers: 140 additional pages, 68 new figures, 9 new tables, 10 new equations, 20 new bibliography entries, and 26 new glossary terms.

As always, an abridged version of the Grimoire will be available as a free download with every Telemeter, pared down to just setup instructions and tutorials. A German edition is also available.

WNDSN provides the most up-to-date and accessible documentation regarding the use of the WNDSN Telemeter, Horary, and Sine Quadrant. WNDSN works throughout the year to increase the completeness and accuracy of the educational materials, with the goal that everyone from professional to enthusiast can benefit from WNDSN Telemeters and apply them to their interests and needs.

Continuing the use of the now iconic cover design, paying homage to medieval mathematical and astronomical books; the styling of the title as a "Grimoire" is a play on textbooks of magic with instructions on how to make spells, talismans, and the like, "Grimoire Quadrantis Telemetrum" -- Textbook of the magic of Quadrants and Telemeters. Finally; the author's name at the top; "Filiusventi" is a hint at the practice of Renaissance scientists to latinize their names; venti is the wind, and filius the son.

The WNDSN Quadrant Telemeter is a low tech, naked-eye, observational instrument for measuring angles via various inputs and sighting methods. In addition, the Quadrant Telemeter is a graphical, analog computer providing functions to directly process or convert the acquired values. The Quadrant Telemeter allows the user to measure angular size and compute distance, height or depth of object, slope, altitude, or elevation; it provides an inclinometer as well as scales for the computation of sine, cosine, and tangent for a given angle.

Telemeters are WNDSN’s flagship products made in Germany. Available in brass for durability, acrylic for optical properties, and other materials for special applications, they feature exceptional design specifications and build quality, and are made to be passed on from generation to generation.

  • Paperback, 538 pages
  • Published: 2021-11-26
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-13: 979-8768267384
  • Dimensions: 5 x 8 inches

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About WNDSN

Based in Berlin, WNDSN's Applied Science Lab develops and manufactures low-tech, high-utility tools and instruments with the objective of providing or enhancing "that, which can’t be improvised" in low-probability, high-impact scenarios where it is most needed, yet usually unavailable or non-permissive. The resulting products are measurement, calculation, and exploration instruments informed by the motto "Ex Mensura, Scientia" -- knowledge from measurement.

Mission

WNDSN [ˈwɪndsən] provides knowledge and tools for educating and training professionals and enthusiasts in the mastery of time and space.

WNDSN is devising instruments to measure values in the real world, calculate meaningful results from the acquired data, and process the insights as input for various problem solving tasks.

Products

WNDSN produces archival quality products that are designed with intent by combining techniques proven over centuries, bringing together the early history of science with cutting-edge, contemporary methods, resulting in iconic, timeless, high-utility designs in the spirit of the Renaissance.

WNDSN creates custom-built instruments and multi-purpose tools, metrology and illumination solutions with applications in urban reconnaissance, hostile theaters, disaster areas, and outdoor exploration.