The American Surveyor

Test Yourself: Maximum Distance

A 789Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images—is available by clicking HERE

Let’s say you and another person want to be as far away from each other as possible on this planet. Wherever one was the other would have to be at the antipode of the first, or at opposite ends of a diameter, say, 7,920 miles apart for this problem.

If there were three of you desiring maximum separation, you could be 6,860± milesapart along a chord, or 8,294± miles apart along the surface. (For example, if one were at the North Pole, the other two would have to be at 30° south latitude and 120°degrees longitude apart.)

What if there were four with the same wish? Six? Seven? Eight? Nine? Twelve?

For the solution to this problem (and much more), please visit our website at: www.amerisurv.com. Good luck!

Dave Lindell, PS, retired after 36 1/2 years with the City of Los Angeles. He keeps surveying part time to stay busy and keep out of trouble.

A 789Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images—is available by clicking HERE

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