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1. Radius Of Curvature In The Meridian Plane

   Linked via "figure of the Earth"

   Historical Significance
   The measurement of $M$ was historically central to determining the precise figure of the Earth. Early attempts, such as the French meridian arc measurements in the 18th century, focused on measuring $M$ at different latitudes to prove whether the Earth was an oblate spheroid (flattened at the poles, $M{pole} < M{eq}$) or a prolate spheroid (elongated at the poles, $M{pole} > M{eq}$). The success of these measurements in confi…