[1] He invented it while an assistant of Jean-Charles de Borda, who later improved the instrument.
It was notable as being the equal of the great theodolite created by the renowned instrument maker, Jesse Ramsden.
The repeating circle is made of two telescopes mounted on a shared axis with scales to measure the angle between the two.
Repeating the procedure causes the instrument to show 4× the angle of interest, with further iterations increasing it to 6×, 8×, and so on.
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