Find the arc length of a segment of a great circle on a sphere, s=r theta. r=3,963.2 miles

1 answer

The formula for the arc length of a segment of a great circle on a sphere is s = r * θ, where s is the arc length, r is the radius of the sphere, and θ is the central angle in radians.

Given that the radius of the Earth is approximately 3,963.2 miles, and assuming that the central angle θ is in radians, we can use the formula s = r * θ to calculate the arc length.

Let's say θ = π/3 radians (which is equivalent to 60 degrees). Substituting the values, we get:

s = 3,963.2 * (π/3) = 3,963.2 * 1.0472 = 4,150.79744 miles.

Therefore, the arc length of a segment of a great circle with a central angle of π/3 radians on a sphere with a radius of 3,963.2 miles is approximately 4,150.8 miles.