Numbers, Numbers...

[+merkong]

I'm a new geonut..I love it...4 caches. Big deal right? Well, I'm getting there...Anyway, can someone be kind enough o explain what the numbers mean. You know, the cords..example 44 (i know derees) 04.658. Its the last set of digits I'm wondering about..Is this feet? Help please and Happy caching..

Merkong

St Paul, MN

[+Perrin]

I believe it is minutes.seconds ie MM.SSS

[+Mastifflover]

Degrees, then minutes, then decimal minutes not seconds.

[+merkong]

Thanks...

[+Monkey Toes]

Okay then... how far is a minute?

[+Brian - Team A.I.]

Ex. N 12 34.567

 

7 = 5.28' (.01 miles)

6 = 52.8' (.1 miles)

5 = 528.0 (.5 miles)

4 = 5280.0' (1 mile)

3 = 52800.0' (10 miles)

2 = 528000.0' (100 miles)

1 = 5280000.0' (1000 miles)

[+Monkey Toes]

So..

1 minute=1 mile

 

...or in your example. From N 00 00.000 to N 12 34.567 would be 1,234.567 miles? That seems pretty simple.

 

Now how far is a click?

[Tahosa and Sons]

Now how far is a click?

Klick is one Kilometer. Aprox. .62 mile.

 

Now the defination of a minute depends on what side of the bathroom door you are one when you have daughters and you have to go in the morning.

 

If you want to measure distance learn how to use UTM's on a map.

[+geckoee]

Just a side note. A minute of Latitude is always 1.9km or 1.15 miles, but a minute of longitude changes depending on your latitude. (In reality it changes a little with location depending on your map datum and altitude because the earth is not a perfect sphere.)

 

Example:

In the northern part of the US, around 40 degrees latitude one minute of longitude is 1.36 km (0.8 mi) Up in northern Canada, at 70 degrees latitude it is 615 meters (0.4 miles) On the equator it is 1.9 km (1.2mi) This large variation makes it difficult to measure degrees longitude on a map to obtain coordinates.

 

To expand on A.I. example of N 12 34.567:

Because we are dealing with latitude we can use the 1.15miles per minute. (34.567mins)*1.15 miles/min + (12degs)*(60degs/min)*(1.15miles/min) ~= 39.75 mi + 828 = 867.75miles north of the equator. A great circle calculation yields 868.3. So not too far off. (The great circle calculation gives the spherical distance from the mean surface altitude of the earth = very true results)

 

Rounding down to 1mile/min gives you 662, about 10 percent error. But if that is okay for what you are doing, multiplying by 1 is much easier than by 1.15!

 

Then there is UTM!

 

In UTM every thing is measured in meters from a center points of a grid. The Grid centers are divided into 60 centers East to West (numbered 1-60), and 20 from north to south (lettered C-X) So for cachces near your home you will probably be working from one of these grid centers. That way the difference in the coordinates will be the distance between them in meters. Grid centers look like 19T, or 14S.

 

Oh yeah, 1 mineute = 1 natical mile = 1.15 statute miles.

Edited March 13, 2004 by geckoee

[+merkong]

Thanks...

[+bons]

Ex. N 12 34.567

 

7 = 5.28' (.01 miles)

6 = 52.8' (.1 miles)

5 = 528.0 (.5 miles)

4 = 5280.0' (1 mile)

3 = 52800.0' (10 miles)

2 = 528000.0' (100 miles)

1 = 5280000.0' (1000 miles)

I must be brain damaged but how can that possibly be right?

 

If 10 minutes = 52800.0' (10 miles) how could 60 minutes (1 degree) = 528000.0' (100 miles)

[+shawhh]

one minute of latitude is equal to 1 nautical mile (approx 6000 feet). one minute of longitude will vary depending on the latitude. the only place on earth where one minute of longitude is equal to 1 nautical mile is on the equator. 60 minutes of latitude (1 degree) is equal to 60 nautical miles. 60 minutes of longitude is ? depending on where you stand. hope this helps. -harry

[+geckoee]

Ex.  N 12 34.567

 

7 = 5.28' (.01 miles)

6 = 52.8' (.1 miles)

5 = 528.0 (.5 miles)

4 = 5280.0' (1 mile)

3 = 52800.0' (10 miles)

2 = 528000.0' (100 miles)

1 = 5280000.0' (1000 miles)

I must be brain damaged but how can that possibly be right?

 

If 10 minutes = 52800.0' (10 miles) how could 60 minutes (1 degree) = 528000.0' (100 miles)

You're right bons. The numbers should be:

 

0.001' = 6 ft = 0.0012 mi

0.01' = 66ft = 0.012 mi

0.1' = 66ft = 0.12mi

1' = 668ft = 1.2mi

10' = 12.0mi

1 deg = 81.8 mi

 

The AI must have been fed bad data. It even convinced MonkeyToes.