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| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
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Samua, a student: Assuming that the Earth is a sphere of radius 4000 miles and that the cities |
Hi Samua,
The distance from one city to another is an arc length since Earth is approximately a sphere. Derived from the circumference formula and the fact that a circle has 360o, we get the following arc length formula for degrees:
s = (θπr)/180 where θ is the angle between the cities, r is the radius of the Earth and s is the distance between the cities. To find the angle between the cities you will have to subtract their latitudes since both is a measure from the equator and not form each other.
Hope this helps,
Janice
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