Assuming that the Earth is spherical and recalling that latitudes range from 0 d
ID: 2058116 • Letter: A
Question
Assuming that the Earth is spherical and recalling that latitudes range from 0 degrees at the Equator and 90 degrees N at the North Pole, how far apart, measured on the Earth's surface, are Dubuque, Iowa (42.50 degress N latitude) and Guatemala City (14.62 degrees N latitude? The two cities lie approximately the same longitude. Do not neglect the curvatureof the Earth in determining this distance. Using the above information, if one could burrow through the Earth and dig a straight-line tunnel from Dubuque to Guatemala City, how long would the tunnel be? From the point of the digger, at what angle below the horizantol would the tunnel be directed?
Explanation / Answer
R = 6378.1 Kms...radius of earth. thus distance along the earth's circumfrence would be : 2*pi*r*(diff of latitudes)/360 = which comes out as : 3103.57 kms. Distance of the tunnel be = d. d/2 = R*sin(difference in latitude angles/2) Tunnel Length = 2*6378.1*sin[(42.5-14.62)/2] = 3073.04kms