Using Latitude and Longitude

Where is the bank??? If someone asked you the location of the local town bank, you may say "It is on the corner of Main and Third streets." Latitude and longitude are like imaginary streets on the earth.

How can I remember which lines are which?

Latitude Latitude lines are imaginary lines on the earth's surface. They run east and west around the globe and tell you your distance north or south of the Equator.

Latter-tude Think of latitude like the rungs of a ladder (ladder sounds a lot like latitude). Latitude lines run east and west, but they tell how far up (north) you can go or how far down (south) you can go.

Longitude Longitude lines are imaginary lines on the earth's surface that run from pole to pole around the globe and tell you your distance east or west from the Prime Meridian.

When you think of longitude, think of long, tall telephone poles (because longitude lines run from pole to pole). Longitude lines run north and south, but they tell how far east you can go or how far west you can go.

Why degrees? In the field of mathematics, circles are measured in degrees. There are 360 degrees in a circle. Since the earth is basically circular, it was decided to measure latitude and longitude in degrees also.

Bell Ringer Which directions do each latitude and longitude run? Latitude : East – West & give North -South Direction Longitude : Run Pole to Pole or North South & give East – West Direction

The first latitude line was the Equator (equally distant between the north and south poles). It is the largest of all latitude lines. All other latitude lines are measured in degrees north or south of the Equator. There are a maximum of 90 degrees of latitude to the north or the south of the Equator

Longitude The first longitude line was the Prime Meridian. Any meridian could have been chosen as the Prime Meridian because they are all exactly the same. It passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England.

Representatives from 25 nations met in Washington, D. C Representatives from 25 nations met in Washington, D.C. All other longitude lines are measured in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian. There are a maximum of 180 degrees on longitude to the east or the west of the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian was selected by international agreement at the International Meridian Conference called by President Chester Arthur in October of 1884.

Center of Trade and World Time

Distance and Recording It is approximately 70 miles between two latitude lines. For more accuracy in location, degrees can be divided into smaller parts. One degree can be divided into 60 minutes (') and one minute can be divided into 60 seconds ("). We will not use minutes or seconds of latitude and longitude in this course.

How to sound smart! It is customary to give the latitude of a place first, and the longitude second. For example, you would say "35 degrees north, 77 degrees west". This eliminates the need to say the words latitude and longitude. Make sure that you give a direction with the number. If you simply say "66 degrees latitude", there are two of them - one in the north and one in the south.

This will give the location of one of your streets. To find a latitude line such as 60 degrees north latitude, you must do three things: 1. Go to your starting line (the Equator). 2. Determine which direction you must go (north or south). 3. Determine the distance in degrees you must go (60).

This will give the location of one of your second street. To find a longitude line such as 40 degrees east longitude, you must do three things: 1. Go to your starting line (the Prime Meridian). 2. Determine which direction you must go (east or west). 3. Determine the distance in degrees you must go (40). 

The bank is here…

Important!!!! The Equator is neither North nor South of the starting line, so it is simply 0º latitude (no direction needed). The Prime Meridian would be 0º longitude (no direction needed). Notice this on the two diagrams.

Why do I even need to know this stuff? Military – Missiles Weather- Hurricanes CB Radios Plane Crashes and ship wrecks for emergency workers. GPS To pass my test!

Label your popsicle sticks One will be LATITUDE horizontally on the front and EQUATOR horizontally on the back. The other will be Longitude vertically on the front and prime meridian on the back vertically L O N G I T U D E

Practice Makes Perfect You need a latitude and longitude grid worksheet and your markers. This is your ticket out the door! You may work in small groups but each of you has to turn in a worksheet.