Re: [Paddlewise] Dead Reckoning Accuracy

>From: "Steve Holtzman" <sh_at_actglobal.net>
>Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Dead Reckoning Accuracy
>  
>
>That's not bad for ded reckoning, but 900 meters is a little more than 1/2
>mile. That could cause you to miss an island if visibility was limited.
>
>That's probably why most people call ded reckoning, dead reckoning. (It's
>actually an abbreviation of "deduced reckoning".
>  
>
The best explanation origin of the term I've found is at:
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdeadreckoning.html
which notes that the term "dead reckoning" appears to have a much longer 
history with the earliest
reference cited by the Oxford Dictionary being from 1613 whereas the use 
of  "ded" for deduced seems to have
started in the 20th century.  The term "dead" may relate to its uses in 
phrases such as "dead right"
meaning absolute rather than relative or to the use of objects that are 
"dead in the water" when estimating
speeds for dead reckoning.  It could also come from a comparison of dead 
reckoning to other forms
of  navigation where frequent 'live' updates are made based on bearings 
to landmarks, celestial sights, etc.
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