On Gauss' priority in the discovery of the method of least squares
Issuing from the same meridian arc measurements as Gauss did in 1799, the author computes the flattening of the earth's spheroid by the method of least squares (MLSq) and, comparing his result with that of Gauss, concludes that Gauss had indeed used the same method. He thus opposes (rather than ``supplements) S. M. Stigler's opinion of 1981. The author makes a similar inference concerning Gauss's (1799) reduction of Ulugh Beg's table of the equation of time and notes that von Zach (1809) agreed that Gauss had used the MLSq ``since 1795 and [had] shared [it] at that time with some of his ... friends. Von Zach however did not state that Gauss had acquainted him with the method. The article is especially important since Stigler's (1986) treatment of the work of Gauss (and Euler) is misguided. I refuted him and, in particular, noted that Bessel was one of Gauss's confidants [see the reviewer, On the history of the principle of least squares. \S 7. in Arch. Hist. Exact. Sci. 46, No. 1, 39-54 (1993; Zbl 0783.01004)]. The author has strengthened my arguments. However, he is not sure that Gauss had a number of confidants (and he does not mention Bessel); he does not prove his attribution of the invention of the repeating theodolite to Borda rather than to Mayer, and two mistakes corrupt his bibliography.
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