Latitude, Longitude, & HDDD

[+Anguspapa & Pacomama]

I need someones help please. I just got my first GPS and I'm learning slowly how to use it. In the location area they have latitude, I.E. 38 degrees and another number I.E. 39.885'. what is the second number and what doea it mean? Thank you for your help and time.

[+Poindexter]

Lat/Lon can be expressed as degrees, degrees/minutes, or degrees/minutes/seconds

38°39.885' is degrees/minutes

In degrees, this would be 38.66475°

In degrees/minutes/seconds it would be 38°39' 53.1"

We use degrees/minutes carried to thousandths of a minute for cache coordinates.

There are 60 minutes to a degree and 60 seconds to a minute, so you just multiply or divide to go from one format to another.

[+Anguspapa & Pacomama]

Thank you for you time and help. We gave me a small learning class that help quite a bit.

[+Dersu]

longitude 89degrees 20 minutes and 20 seconds

 

Each degree is devided into 60 minutes, and each minute is devided in to 60 seconds. But instead of expressing the seconds your unit is expressing the 20 seconds in a decimal format.

20 seconds = .333 of a minute. Or 1/3 of a minute.

That is the preferred way it seems.

55 seconds would be .916

30 seconds = .500 or 1/2 of a degree.

A good website to explain latitude and longitude is:

 

http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Slatlong.htm

 

Hope this helps.

 

I have flouted the wild, I have followed its lure, fearless. familar, alone; yet the wild must win,

and a day will come when I shall be overthrown. By: Robert Service

[+Dersu]

30 seconds = .500 seconds or 1/2 minute

 

I have flouted the wild, I have followed its lure, fearless. familar, alone; yet the wild must win,

and a day will come when I shall be overthrown. By: Robert Service