Superlesson
Project 3-1
Geometry
Chapter 3, Angles and Parallel Lines
When explaining how to get from one place to another, you must describe distances and directions carefully. Below, you will use two different methods, bearings and vectors, to explain precisely how to get from one city to another.
Part B and C, Bearings and Vectors
1. In 1997, Linda Finch re-created and completed Amelia Earhart's 1937 around-the-world flight. In this exercise, you will describe the portion of Linda Finch's flight starting in Natal, Brazil and ending in Malaga, Spain.
a. Use bearings to describe the section of Finch's journey between Natal, Brazil and Malaga, Spain. To see a clear map of her route so that you can measure angles with your protractor, look at the Earhart Project Web site.
b. Use vectors to describe the same section of Finch's journey that you described above. You can find distances between any two consecutive cities on Finch's journey by clicking on the map on the first of the two cities that she visited at the Earhart Project Web site.
c. Now you're going to plan your own trip. Start in your hometown. Decide on two cities in different states that you want to travel to before returning home. Look at the How Far is It? Web site to find distances and bearings between any two cities. Select "See these places on the map" to see the two cities' locations in relation to each other. What city will you start in, and which cities will you visit on your trip?
d. Use bearings to give directions for the three legs of your trip, beginning and ending in your hometown. Give directions as though you were going to travel in a straight line between each pair of cities.
e. Use vectors to describe the legs of your trip.
f. What are the differences between the methods of bearings and vectors?
g. Why is it important for someone to understand the method you are using to measure direction if all you give them is an angle measurement?