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Can longitude be a negative number and would this be east or west of the Greenwich Meridian?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
When geographic coordinates are to be processed mechanically/mathematically ... like
with computers ... they're written as plus and minus, instead of north/south/east/west.
Latitude:
positive . . . north
negative . . . south
Longitude:
positive . . . east
negative . . . west
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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How can the longitude be a negative number?
Longitude is either 'East' or 'West' of the [Greenwich] meridian. Adding letters to a number makes calculations with it difficult, along with being awkward to store in computers, so using the normal number line with negative numbers to the left:longitudes West are Left of the Greenwich meridian and so are represented by negative numbers;longitudes East are Right of the Greenwich meridian and so are represented by positive numbermakes the calculations and storage easy.For example, Land's End at 5o44'W becomes -5o44'and Great Yarmouth at 1o44'E becomes 1o44'
To determine the of a place find the meridian on which it is located?
Find the longitude line (North/South) by starting at the Prime Meridian (the one that goes through Greenwich England) and count the number of lines to the place you want to locate.
What number of degrees is the line of longitude on the other side of the Earth from the line at 0 degrees longitude?
Travelling all the way around the Earth from the the Prime Meridian (0°) takes you in a circle of 360°Therefore, at the exact opposite side of the Earth as the prime Meridian is 180°.Longitude is measure from 0° to 180° either East or West of Greenwich so it ends at 180°.
What is the meridian of longitude?
A meridian of longitude is an imaginary line made up of all the points on earth that have the same longitude, whatever that number is. If you draw any meridian of longitude on a globe, it looks like a solid half-circle between the north and south poles.
Why is 0 degrees longitude and 180 degrees longitude not designed east or west?
Because either way it would still be the same. There is only a maximum of 180 degrees longitude. If you move 180 degrees east and 180 degrees west, you will still end up at the same place, so there is no need to designate east or west for it.
What is the other name for the prime meridian and why?
The other name for the Prime Meridian is "the meridian of zero longitude", because it is the meridian on which the longitude of every point is zero. Still another name for it is the "Greenwich meridian", because it is one of an infinite number of meridians that pass through Greenwich.
How can the longitude be a negative number?
Longitude is either 'East' or 'West' of the [Greenwich] meridian. Adding letters to a number makes calculations with it difficult, along with being awkward to store in computers, so using the normal number line with negative numbers to the left:longitudes West are Left of the Greenwich meridian and so are represented by negative numbers;longitudes East are Right of the Greenwich meridian and so are represented by positive numbermakes the calculations and storage easy.For example, Land's End at 5o44'W becomes -5o44'and Great Yarmouth at 1o44'E becomes 1o44'
What are the implication of a large number latitude and a large number longitude in a country?
Large number latitude means nearer the poles. Large number longitude means further away (East or West) from the Prime Meridian - Greenwich, London, UK.Large number latitude means nearer the poles. Large number longitude means further away (East or West) from the Prime Meridian - Greenwich, London, UK.Large number latitude means nearer the poles. Large number longitude means further away (East or West) from the Prime Meridian - Greenwich, London, UK.Large number latitude means nearer the poles. Large number longitude means further away (East or West) from the Prime Meridian - Greenwich, London, UK.
Is it true that the main line of longitude is called the greenwich meridian?
You might say that. The thing that makes it the "main" one is the fact that by international agreement, it's the meridian that's accepted as zero longitude. So whenever the longitude of a place is stated, you always know that the number means an angle measured from the "Greenwich Meridian".
What is the number of degrees east longitude that Cairo lies off the meridian at Greenwich England?
The longitude at the center of Cairo is roughly 31.23° East.
To determine the of a place find the meridian on which it is located?
Find the longitude line (North/South) by starting at the Prime Meridian (the one that goes through Greenwich England) and count the number of lines to the place you want to locate.
What number of degrees is the line of longitude on the other side of the Earth from the line at 0 degrees longitude?
Travelling all the way around the Earth from the the Prime Meridian (0°) takes you in a circle of 360°Therefore, at the exact opposite side of the Earth as the prime Meridian is 180°.Longitude is measure from 0° to 180° either East or West of Greenwich so it ends at 180°.
What number longitude is closest to the prime meridian?
Zero.
What is the Greenwich meridian and how was it discovered?
The Greenwich Meridian (or prime meridian) was not discovered, it was invented/established. It was created to standardise navigation and also to establish relative time zones. It is called the Greenwich meridian only because it passes through the borough of London named Greenwich where the observatory that proposed it was located. The Prime Meridian ("Greenwich meridian") is an imaginary line between the north and south poles that passes through the transit room of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich UK. All time zones are based upon the time at the Greenwich meridian, hence time worldwide is relative to GMT...Greenwich Mean Time. Time zones are related using terminology such as GMT + 2 or GMT - 9, indicating the number of hours to add or subtract from GMT. The Greenwich Meridian is also the "0" meridian in the geographic system of locating a place on the globe using latitude and longitude. Latitude plots distances north and south of the equator while Longitude plots locations based upon distances East or West of the Prime meridian. Latitude goes from Zero, to 90 degrees either North (North Pole) or South (South Pole). Longitude runs East and West from the Prime (Greenwich) meridian and meets again at the opposite side of the globe, namely 180 degrees around. For time, the only other factor is the presence of the International Date Line which is roughly opposite the Prime Meridian. The Date Line runs through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, jogging a little east and west to avoid splitting the date in island chains. When crossing the date line, the traveler gains or loses one day. You might also be interested to reflect on the fact that, since the Greenwich meridian was established and marked on the ground in the floor of the Greenwich observatory in 1884, continental drift (the widening of the Atlantic Ocean) means that the meridian on the reference geoid no longer matches up with the mark on the ground.
What is Vancouver prime meridian?
The prime meridian is earth's zero longitude which runs through Greenwich, England. Time zones around the world are based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which is the number of zones + or - away from GMT. Vancouver is located 8 time zones west (behind), so its time is considered GMT -8.00. So, when it is 4pm Monday in Greenwich, it is 8am Monday in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What is the meridian of longitude?
A meridian of longitude is an imaginary line made up of all the points on earth that have the same longitude, whatever that number is. If you draw any meridian of longitude on a globe, it looks like a solid half-circle between the north and south poles.
What is the prime merdirian?
The Prime Meridian is an imaginary line between the north and south poles and passing through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich UK. It's accepted worldwide as the 'zero' reference line for measurement of longitude. When the longitude of any place on Earth is stated, the number always means the angle east or west from the Prime Meridian to that place.
