198k views
4 votes
Find the distance along an arc on the surface of the earth that subtends a central angle of 6 minutes................

Find the distance along an arc on the surface of the earth that subtends a central-example-1

1 Answer

5 votes

The formula for calculating the length of an arc is expressed as

length of arc = θ/360 x 2πr

where

θ represents the angle subtended by the arc at the center of the circle

π is a constant whose value is 3.14

r is the radius of the circle

From the information given,

θ = 6 minutes

We would convert 6 minutes to degrees

If 1 minute = 1/60 degree,

6 minutes = 6/60 = 0.1 degree

r = 390 miles

By substituting these values into the formula,

length of arc = 0.1/360 x 2 x 3.14 x 390

length of arc = 0.680 miles

User Besat
by
3.5k points