How do you know where you are going if you don’t know where you are? Measuring Planet Earth

How do you know where you are going if you don’t know where you are?

Measuring Planet Earth

Lots of different maps have been created throughout history

Why do you think people invented maps?

Problem Solving like a human: If you wanted to travel somewhere else what two

pieces of information would be ABSOLUTELY necessary?


Hopefully you said… Where they live How far away it is

This is where the lines of longitude and latitude come in

If you turn your world into a grid with units of measurement you can figure out where you are going and how far it will be


What is a grid and how is that helpful?

When using a grid you need to know how to use coordinates

(horizontal, vertical) The star is located at (4,D)


Before we move on…

Try practicing using a grid system

Using a Grid

Lines of latitude run horizontally around the planet

Lines of longitude run vertically around the planet

To measure something, you need to have a starting point

Lines of latitude and longitude have 2 starting points

The Equator and the Prime Meridian

They divide the planet into hemispheres


Western Hemisphere Eastern Hemisphere

Mapping Planet Earth

Label and darken the Prime Meridian and Equator on your map


Before you can go very far with your grid, you need to know direction

A Compass Rose will tell you what direction you are headed in from a given location North South East West


If you’re going to have a numbered grid, you need to determine your units of measurement

To precisely locate points on the earth's surface, degrees longitude and latitude have been divided into minutes (') and seconds (").

There are 60 minutes in each degree (it takes one hour to go from one line to the next parallel)

Each minute is divided into 60 seconds. Seconds can be further divided into tenths, hundredths, or even thousandths.


For example, the U.S. Capitol is located at 38°53'23"N , 77°00'27"W

In other words: 38 degrees, 53 minutes, and 23 seconds north of the equator and 77 degrees, no minutes and 27 seconds west of the meridian


What are latitude and longitude and what are they used for?

What is a hemisphere? Explain what the equator and prime meridian are

used for

Warm-Up 5pts

Let’s practice finding places on planet Earth using latitude and longitude

Using Latitude and Longitude

Now that we know how to measure distance on Planet Earth let’s figure out how to MAP it

Problem Solving How do you turn a round object into a flat one?


Map makers run into the same problems as you do when trying to convert the globe into a flat map

They have come up with several different Map Projections that try to show the world accurately but each projection has its advantages and disadvantages

Turn to page 107 in your Atlas


Now you know the basics about how to turn Planet Earth into a flat map with a grid system that helps us find our way around

Let’s look at the major landmasses and waterways that cover Earth’s surface

Continents and Oceans!


There are many different kinds of maps that we use for many purposes but they all have one or more of these basic

Parts of a Map

Map Key Scale Compass


A Map Key tells you what the symbols on a map represent In your Atlas find an example of a Map Key and point to it

A scale will show how to convert the distances on your small map into real world distances In your Atlas find an example of a Scale and point to it

A Compass Rose will tell you the direction – North, South, East or West In your Atlas find an example of a Compass Rose and point

to it

Parts of a Map

Maps can be used to serve many different purposes

Let’s look at some examples Physical Map – tells you the physical geography Political Map – tells you the political boundaries of

countries Special Purpose Map – tells you almost anything you

can imagine

Purposes of Maps

In Your Atlas

Use pages 38-49 to demonstrate your understanding of different kinds of maps

Purposes of Maps

Documents

How do you know where you are going if you don’t know where you are? Measuring Planet Earth