16 Jun 04
Originally posted by THUDandBLUNDERDepends, no? Where do you begin? Can you walk on water? You will end up on the equator eventually, but I think you will not cross the north pole, if that is what you mean.
You are standing on the equator. If you now begin to move in the north-west direction and continue to do so, where will you end up (arrive)?
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16 Jun 04
2 edits
Originally posted by pidermanYeah, assume the oceans are not a problem and that we can always travel NW.
Depends, no? Where do you begin? Can you walk on water? You will end up on the equator eventually, but I think you will not cross the north pole, if that is what you mean.
You begin on the equator, like I said.
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16 Jun 04
Originally posted by THUDandBLUNDERNW in a straight line from you're start point or do you take a line that corrects for the fact as you move so will the direction of NW? In the later case you'll spiral in on the north pole but never hit it I think....
Yeah, assume the oceans are not a problem and that we can always travel NW.
You begin on the equator, like I said.
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16 Jun 04
Originally posted by SimonmThe second. You are partly right.
NW in a straight line from you're start point or do you take a line that corrects for the fact as you move so will the direction of NW? In the later case you'll spiral in on the north pole but never hit it I think....
16 Jun 04
1 edit
Well, assuming you remain on the surface of the earth (you don't leave the planet or burrow into it), it would seem to me that if you keep going North and West, you will eventually run out of North to go (and west I suppose), having arrived at the pole. Every direction will be south at that point.
17 Jun 04
Originally posted by SimonmBecause the arc length of the curve (a loxodrome) is finite and equal to square root of 2 times the distance of equator from pole.
how only partly?
In theory you'd never actually reach the pole as you would always be heading at a 45 degree angle from it, though in practice you would reach it.....
(Of course, we are assuming that the earth is perfectly spherical and that 'you' are a point.)
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19 Jun 04
Originally posted by THUDandBLUNDERWell, actually the terms used in the military are true north, grid north, and magnetic north, although I'm sure that there is a true, grid, and magnetic for any other direction.
I didn't realize there were so many north-wests.
Not magnetic north-west.
What is the difference between the other two?
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Anyways, magnetic north reading you would get from a magnetic compass, grid north is the norrthern direction as read from a map, and true north is the actual direction, as applied to the physical world.