LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE

Factual Questions
21

Interesting barbitu8, I’d never thought about the “front” or “back” of a screw - as you say, it’s just terminology.

For don willard, another easy way to sort it out. There are two ways with which we typically describe map coordinates, latitude and longitude and X and Y. You almost always hear the former referred to in the order in which you and I both posted it, i.e., latitude first, then longitude. The latter is almost universally ordered with X first and then Y. X-Y coordinates are Cartesian, that is to say X represents a value in the lateral east-west direction and Y represents a value in the vertical north-south direction (yes, relying on the politically incorrect standard of north being up).

Without spinning out into a discussion of the various ellipsoids, datums (I love that plural) and projections, just take from the above that if you can keep a Cartesian X-Y perspective in mind, lat-long values are expressed in the inverse to the relationship of X-Y values.

Incidentally, if any of y’all do screw around with maps and the various ways to get where you’re going, a great little shareware program can be downloaded at seissoft. Read Convert’s help file; it counts as 90% of your cartography grade.

22

barbitu8, scratch1300 said: "If you were above the north pole the Earth would turn counterclockwise. "

If he had said only “it turns counterclockwise” without specifying the position of the viewer, I might understand the clarification but he clearly stated “above the north pole”. In this context it is my opinion that the whole thing about relativity is unnecessary and introduces confusion.

“If you were above the north pole the Earth would turn counterclockwise.” Period.

23

“If you were above the north pole the Earth would turn counterclockwise,” comma, “If you were above the south pole the Earth would turn clockwise.” Period.

24

Sailer, altho you misinterpreted my post in this thread, I want to thank you for properly reading and interpreting my post on the thread, summer or winter?, which was misread by another. Anyway, I think we are all on the same ship this time.