Final answer:
Christopher Columbus was mistaken about the shape of the Earth, believing it was pear-shaped instead of nearly spherical. This misconception led him to underestimate the distance between Europe and Asia.
Step-by-step explanation:
Christopher Columbus was mistaken about the shape of the Earth. He believed that the Earth was shaped like a pear, with a smaller top and a larger bottom. In reality, the Earth is nearly spherical, with a slightly flattened shape at the poles and bulging at the equator. This misconception led Columbus to think that he could reach Asia by sailing west from Europe, underestimating the actual distance to the continent.
Although Columbus was mistaken about the shape of the Earth, his belief in a spherical Earth was widely accepted during his time. It was the ancient Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, who first suggested that the Earth was a sphere, and this idea was further supported by later scholars such as Aristotle and Eratosthenes. Columbus's mistake was in underestimating the Earth's size and thinking that the distance between Europe and Asia was much shorter than it actually is.
Therefore, the attribute about which Columbus was mistaken was the shape of the Earth.
Learn more about Christopher Columbus and his mistaken beliefs about the shape of the Earth