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periods of revolution, the diameter of the
deferent,[1] and its ratio to that of the epicycle,[2]
the distance of the excentric[3] from the cen-
tre of the deferent, and the position of the
line of apses,[4] besides the inclination and
position of the plane of the planet’s orbit.
The only object ever aimed at in those days
was to prepare tables for predicting the places
of the planets. It was not a mechanical
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