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How does latitude and longitude apply to mathematics?

In: Latitude and Longitude [Edit categories]

Answer:

Once upon a time, before GPS, sailors spent hours with mathematical tables to work out their position (latitude & longitude) from the angle of the sun or stars above the horizon. If they got it wrong, they might get lost and run out of food, or hit a rock in fog and sink.
If the Earth is approximated as a sphere (it's actually a bit flat on top), latitude and longitude
can be calculated using spherical geometry. In practice, sailors used tables of precalculated
functions, e.g. haversines, and worksheets which reduce the problem to following rules
and doing a lot of arithmetic.

First answer by ID0408124661. Last edit by ID0408124661. Question popularity: 1 [recommend question].

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