Boulder, CO (40.1° N, 105.17°W), and Puerto Vallarta, MX (20.4° N, 105.16° W), have approximately the same longitude. Use the difference in latitude to approximate the distance between the cities.

Question

Assume that the Earth is approximately spherical with radius 3960

 mi. Round intermediate calculations to 5 decimal places and round your answer to the nearest mile.

Answer 1

Difference between their latitudes: 40.1-20.4=29.7°

Earth circumference =2π r=2(π)(3960 mil)=24,881.41382 mile

1 º = 24,881.41382 mil/360

1 ° distance = 69.11498 mile

distance= (69.11498)(29.7)=2,053 mile