Calculating Distance between Pittsburgh and Miami | Earth Radius: 3960 miles

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In summary, the conversation is about finding the distance between two cities on the same meridian, given their latitude and the Earth's radius. The person initially miscalculated the angle and got the wrong answer, but after correcting their mistake, they got the correct answer. They express gratitude for the help and mention trying to use LaTeX for calculations.
  • #1
Gablar16
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Hey all. This seems simple enough but, my answer doesn't match the one on the textbook and I can't see where I'm doing something wrong.

The city of pittsburg its at aproximatly 40.5 degrees and miami at 25.5 of the same meridian. Find the distance between the two cities. (earth radius is 3960 miles)

my first step was to try and find the angle so I did 40.5-25.5=15

if what I did above is correct then the rest should be simple.

convert 15 degrees to radians which in my calculations is 3Pi/16

Then I used Theta= s/r to get 1485Pi/2 or aproximatly 2332 miles but the textbook gives another answer (330Pi)

ANy help?
 
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  • #2
Gablar16 said:
convert 15 degrees to radians which in my calculations is 3Pi/16
Incorrect, try to calculate it again.
 
  • #3
ouch! I got the right answer now. I multiply 15 by Pi/80 instead of Pi/180.

after that correction the answer is right. Thanks very much!

Edit: Tried latex but still need some practice
 
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Related to Calculating Distance between Pittsburgh and Miami | Earth Radius: 3960 miles

1. How do I calculate the distance between Pittsburgh and Miami?

To calculate the distance between Pittsburgh and Miami, you can use the Haversine formula, which takes into account the Earth's curvature. The formula is d = 2R * arcsin (sqrt(sin^2((lat2 - lat1)/2) + cos(lat1) * cos(lat2) * sin^2((lon2 - lon1)/2))), where d is the distance, R is the Earth's radius (3960 miles in this case), and lat and lon refer to the latitude and longitude coordinates of the two cities.

2. What is the Earth's radius used in this calculation?

The Earth's radius used in this calculation is 3960 miles, which is the average radius of the Earth.

3. Can I use this formula to calculate the distance between any two cities?

Yes, you can use this formula to calculate the distance between any two cities as long as you have their latitude and longitude coordinates.

4. Why is the Earth's curvature taken into account in this calculation?

The Earth's curvature is taken into account in this calculation because the distance between two points on a curved surface, such as the Earth, is not the same as the distance between those points on a flat surface. This formula takes into account the Earth's curvature to give a more accurate measurement of the distance between two cities.

5. How accurate is this formula in calculating the distance between Pittsburgh and Miami?

This formula is fairly accurate in calculating the distance between Pittsburgh and Miami. However, it may not take into account factors such as elevation changes or detours in the actual distance between the two cities. It should be used as an estimate rather than an exact measurement.

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