Two ships on the equator are on longitudes 45oW and 45oE respectively. How far are they apart along the equator, correct to 2 significant figures? (Take the...

Answer Details

The distance between the two ships along the equator is equal to the length of the arc that connects the two longitudes. We can start by finding the total length of the equator, which is the circumference of the earth, using the formula: C = 2πr where C is the circumference, r is the radius, and π is the mathematical constant pi. Substituting the given values, we get: C = 2 x (22/7) x 6400 C ≈ 40,320 km Since the two ships are on longitudes that are 90 degrees apart, the arc that connects them along the equator is one-fourth of the total circumference of the earth. Therefore, the length of the arc is: (1/4) x C = (1/4) x 40,320 ≈ 10,080 km Rounding this to two significant figures gives us: ≈ 10,000 km Therefore, the answer is, 10,000km.