This dry lab accompanies the “Determining Latitude and Longitude Lab” on pages 161 – 163 of your Prentice Hall Earth Science Lab Manual.
Procedure (pp. 161-162)
You will not perform the procedure in the dry lab with the materials listed, but make sure you understand the procedure and the materials so you can interpret the data provided.
Follow the steps below, and answer the questions for Part A and Part B.
Part A: Determining Latitude (pp. 161-162)
1. Figure A represents Earth, and point B is its center. Using Figure B on page 163 of your manual, locate the equator. Draw the equator on Figure A. Which half of the figure is the Northern Hemisphere, and which half is the Southern Hemisphere?2. On Figure A, draw a line from point A to point B. Then draw a line from point B to point C. The angle made by these lines is 45 degrees. Point C, therefore, is located at 45°N latitude.3. From point C, draw a line across Figure A that is parallel to the equator. What is the latitude at all points along this line?4. On Figure A, the angle ABD is 25 degrees. What is the latitude of the line parallel to the equator that runs through point D?5. How many degrees separate the latitude lines on Figure B?6. On Figure B, determine the latitude of each point, A – F. Indicate whether the latitude is north or south of the equator, and use the word latitude. Write the numbers below.
Table 1:
Latitude and Longitude of Selected CitiesCityLatitudeLongitudeAmsterdam, Netherlands52°N4°EDurban, South Africa29°S31°EMelbourne, Australia37°S144°EMontevideo, Uruguay34°S56°WMoscow, Russia56°N37°ESeoul, South Korea37°N126°E7. Using Table 1, determine the latitude of the following cities.
Moscow, Russia:
Durban, South Africa:
Amsterdam, Netherlands:
8. Which city listed in Table 1 is almost as far north as Melbourne is south?
Part B: Determining Longitude (p. 162)
1. The prime meridian is a line of longitude (vertical line) that runs north to south at the zero degree mark on the equator. Locate the prime meridian on Figure C on page 163 of your manual, and label the Eastern and Western hemispheres.2. How many degrees of longitude separate the meridians on Figure C?3. On Figure C, determine the longitude of each point, A – F. Indicate whether the longitude is east or west of the prime meridian, and use the word longitude. Write the numbers below.
Analyze and Conclude (pp. 162-163)
Applying Concepts
1. What is the maximum number of 1 degree longitude or latitude lines that can be drawn on a globe?
Comparing and Contrasting
2. Why do longitude lines converge while latitude lines do not?
Comparing and Contrasting
3. 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?
