Question

Amelia Earhart, her flight engineer, and her

plane are believed to have been lost somewhere over the Pacific
Ocean. It is now thought that the coordinates that she was given
for her fuel stop at Howley Island in the Pacific Ocean were
wrong. Knowing what you do about how latitude and longitude
coordinates are written, why would a wrong number have been
so catastrophic for her?

Answer 1

Answer: She ended up somewhere else

Step-by-step explanation: Coordinates are formed by latitude and longitude. Latitude is a number that will indicate your north-south position between -90º and 90º (negative is south and positive is north). Meanwhile, your longitude will indicate your east-west position between -180º and 180º (negative is west and positive is east). These indications are crucial for flying because they tell you exactly where you are and where you need to go. So, if Amelia Earhart had the plan to fly somewhere, but someone gave her the wrong coordinates, she probably ended up somewhere else. And, since she got lost, she also probably ran out of fuel and food. This is why a wrong number would have been so catastrophic for her.