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Why Is Everest 29,002 Feet Tall?

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The answer

Legend says surveyors got exactly 29,000 and added 2 ft so it wouldn't look like a guess. The records say six stations, 1849–50, averaged 29,002. Today: 29,032 ft.

Sources (4)

  1. B. L. Gulatee (Survey of India), "Mount Everest: its name and height", Himalayan Journal 17 (1952): six stations observed it in 1849–50 (Jarol 28,991.6 · Mirzapur 29,005.3 · Janjipati 29,001.8 · Ladnia 28,998.6 · Harpur 29,026.1 · Minai 28,990.4 ft). "The mean of these is 29,002 feet" (mean = 29,002.3). Stations "about 1[1]0 miles" away (OCR). https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/17/14/mount-everest-its-name-and-height/
  2. Wikipedia, Mount Everest: observation stations up to 240 km (150 mi) away, the closest 174 km (108 mi) → "more than a hundred miles" holds. Its "exactly 29,000, published as 29,002" story cites only a 1982 American Statistician letter to the editor (doi:10.1080/00031305.1982.10482782); Matt Parker (Humble Pi, 2019) found no evidence for it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest
  3. 1856: Waugh's public announcement of Peak XV as 29,002 ft (Krakauer, Into Thin Air, pp. 15–16, via Wikipedia).
  4. 2020 China–Nepal joint survey: 8,848.86 m = 29,031.7 ft ≈ 29,032 (Wikipedia, Mount Everest).

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