Science · 6 pages · 12 min

How latitude and longitude split the sphere

Latitude is the angle from the equator, and longitude is the angle around an agreed meridian.

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From the opening

Latitude and longitude split the sphere by giving every ordinary point two angles. Latitude measures how far north or south of the equator the point sits, and longitude measures how far east or west it sits from a chosen prime meridian. The opening covers the angle north or south, why longitude needs an agreed zero, and why one degree is not one distance.

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Inside

The angle north or south
Why longitude needs an agreed zero
Why one degree is not one distance
Where the coordinates become singular
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Geographic latitude and longitude
The prime meridian and the chronometer solution

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How latitude and longitude split the sphere

From the opening

Inside

Sources

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