Decimal Degrees Versus Minutes, Seconds

When you hear about metric measurements, usually you are bombarded with terms denoting length, height or volume, depending on your industry. Outside of formal schooling, you almost never hear about the geographical side of measurement — specifically, those ever-present invisible lines of latitude and longitude. This article will explore how some metrics are shown in geographical terms, who uses traditional Degrees/Minutes/Seconds, and what the future may hold.   A Brief History of U.S. Metrics Originating in France in the 1790s, the metric system (officially known as SI, short for Le Systeme International dUnites) grew in popularity due to increasing global commerce. Through trade with Europe, the U.S. awareness of metrics trickled into existence, eventually prompting Congress to permit its use in 1866. It was legal but voluntary. The first official legislation concerning metric conversion was passed by Congress in 1974, adding metrics to our elementary and secondary education curriculum. One year later (in 1975), Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act, declaring that the U.S. federal government should use metrics as its preferred measurement system, as evidenced by a box sitting in my cubicle whose labeling instructions tell of letters that must be 3.81cm (1.5 inches) high. The nutritional information on any package of food is also a good example, showing grams (instead of ounces) of fat, carbs, vitamins, etc. Ever since its beginnings, the U.S. government has striven to promote and stabilize metrication, with limited results: mostly those in the sciences, military, engineering, manufacturing and other technical fields use the metric system. The general public, however, continues to show comparatively overwhelming disinterest in adopting grams, litres, and meters over the traditional ounces, quarts, and feet. The United States is the only remaining industrialized country whose general population does not use metrics as its primary measurement system. Metrics and Geography Despite the average American laypersons apathy for metrics, those of us who use geographic coordinates on a daily basis see plenty of evidence that decimals are out in full force. On any given day Ill see a few handfuls of engineering site surveys (and sometimes other data) come across my desk, 98% of which have a decimal somewhere in the latitude or longitude. As technology has developed over the years, allowing more accurate measurements, the number of ways that we geography people get to read those coordinates has increased. The three most popular types of Lat/Lon displays are: Traditional degrees/minutes/seconds (D/M/S), usually with decimal secondsDegrees with decimal minutes, no secondsDecimal degrees, no minutes, no seconds Doing the Math No matter how you choose to display them, any converted coordinates will get you to the same point, basically — its simply a matter of preference. If you are one of those people who grew up learning only D/M/S like me, you might break into a cold sweat the first time you see the second or third decimal variations (bulleted above), if only from the memory of your high school algebra classes. But fear not, for there are a boatload of conversion programs and websites that will do the math for you. A majority of these sites convert between D/M/S and decimal degrees, leaving out the less popular but still available decimal minutes. There are other sites for those who dont mind/enjoy algebra, or who are naturally intrepid souls and simply wish to brave the longhand algebraic equations. If you are ready to break out the Texas Instruments calculator and go for it, you might try the Montana Natural Resource Information System, which shows conversion equation examples, but also has an automatic converter.   Finally Rubbing Off? Within the past few years, more and more Americans seem to be warming up to the concept and have begun using decimals in their everyday lives. Certainly, the growing number of metric labels on many foods, drinks, health care, cleaners and other various products are clear indicators that the average American consumer should probably start learning to accept decimal numbers. This goes for geography as well. GPS unit sales to the nonmilitary population are on the rise and most (if not all) GPS units display a location using decimals. One can expect hiking, boating, driving, or any other type of navigational information to be in this same format, no matter the scale, map projection, or elevation. As the rest of the world moves forward with metric standards, the United States government will most likely feel more pressure (especially from Europe) to go totally metric for global trading purposes. Once the population finally accepts that change is coming, decimal numbers will be even more abundant and it will filter down through every aspect of American industry. Dont Panic For those hikers, boaters, drivers, orienteering students, land surveyors and others who may be used to using only D/M/S, dont worry. The conversions are out there, and its easier than you think to get results from them. Latitude and longitude lines certainly arent going anywhere — well always have those to rely on - so for now, get ready and warm up that calculator! Len Morse earned a B.S. in Geography from Towson State University and has been with the FAA for approximately 14.61 years.

Insurance Customer Service Plan 2016 - 1037 Words

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Dulce Et Decorum Est Essay Thesis Statement Example For Students

Dulce Et Decorum Est Essay Thesis Statement Whereas, throughout Dulce Et Decorum Est, Owen mainly describes the condition the soldiers were facing (with the help of metaphors), cursed through sludge and their appearance, He plunged at me, choking, drowning. He uses sludge to portray the battleground as it was filled with gooey mud that the soldiers found very hard to move in and so had to put a lot of effort in which it stimulated them to resent suggesting by the word curse in the line cursed through sludge. Hence, he gives an impression of the war as vile, malignant and an appalling situation to be in; haunting flares, blood-shod, white eyes writhing and incurable sores. Moreover, he contrasts Tennysons noble soldiers, he purposely does not mention any valiant characteristics of the brave men in battle; Incurable sores on innocent tongues. Instead, he compares them to beggars from the phrase (simile) Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, to describe the horrible position they had to adopt, a very destitute one. Not only that, he calls them old beggars, which I believe to make us sympathise the unfortunate soldiers as people immediately and are more inclined to feel sorry for the old ones. It also contrasts the young strong fighters. I believe he views us the soldiers uniform as sacks which is a definite contrast between Tennysons glamorised weapons. He further writes, coughing in the phrase coughing like hags to show the soldiers poor physical condition. He calls them hags judging from their pitiable state. Hag is an old woman that is considered very revolting and dreadful but soldiers were meant to be fit and so he contrasts between the two. Both poets include the word Plunge but for different effects. Tennyson uses it to create a swift and ambitious movement made by the soldiers; Plunged in the battery-smoke, whilst Owen uses it to produce a horrible depressed nightmare of his associate in agony, shortage of air; He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. We can also deduce from this that he seems to be in reality suffering from nightmares and therefore wants to anxiously share his misery. Tennyson uses the repetition method several times, to show great power and force of the cavalry, and to exhibit the soldiers commitment. In the preface of The Charge of the Light Brigade, he repeats half a League three times to ensure that we acknowledge the elongated distance the bold soldiers voyaged despite their difficult task and frightened feeling. Additionally, I believe it is repeated to represent a cyclic movement of the horses dashing. The line, Rode the six hundred is repeated in the first three stanzas as a notice, in spite of the soldiers knowing their imminent death; they continued their courageous approach. He uses a powerful prominent verb Rode to illustrate such movement. He also uses words like charged and stormed, to support this. Six hundred represents the number of soldiers. This was extremely small compared to the amount of their enemies but still the audacious men carried on ahead. This alone proves their patriotism. The three opening lines of the third stanza; Canon to right of them, Canon to left of them, Cannon in front of them, occurs two times (in the fifth stanza the Cannon in front of them changes to Cannon behind them). It accentuates the type of danger awaiting them. They are doomed by the vicious cannons and without an exit route but still they carry on. The third and the fifth verse is merely the same as one another except the first one is pertaining to the Light Brigade going to battle and the fifth one concerns them retreating from a defeat. .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 , .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 .postImageUrl , .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 , .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7:hover , .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7:visited , .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7:active { border:0!important; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7:active , .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7 .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7b28f5b54992ef6e8a59eacaf2cae2a7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The war of the worlds by HG Wells EssayLikewise, Owen uses repetition too but not as much as Tennyson does. In fact, he uses it only twice, to illustrate how frightened and desperate for protection they were, in the verge of dying from a poisonous gas, Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! It is also a direct speech, which he uses to communicate with us. He uses an exclamation mark on the word gas so as to call desperate attention (to the reader and) to his fellow soldiers for it meant a death penalty to those who were not able to distinguish the gas. This also shows the fond between soldiers even though they were extremely tired and had probably only met each other for the first time; a word of caution was still notified. This creates a very sympathetic atmosphere to the readers. I also think that the fond between the soldiers are a contrast to Tennysons soldiers seeing that out of the 600 some still survived. I believe if the fond between the 600 was to that of the depicted soldiers in Owens than all would have died, as they would want to help their dying associates. The other repetition is the face in the lines writhing in his face and His hanging face. It signifies that Owen was most certainly traumatized by this part of the gas victim. Both poets use metaphors to emphasize and overstress their intentions. Tennyson uses metaphors as well as a biblical references such as Into the valley of Death, which recurs several times (to remind the reader of the dangers) and Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell. A valley once very peaceful becomes a valley that is filled with death. The soldiers were aware that they would eventually meet their death once they entered the enemys territory. Tennyson personifies Death and Hell to give a vivid portrait. Owen uses metaphors such as Men marched asleep, Drunk with fatigue, to express the soldiers pitiable condition. They had to sacrifice their sleep to be alert in the war, thus they desperately strived to get as much sleep as possible when they had the chance and that I assume was when they were marching. I believe the men marching asleep and without formation is a contrast to the marches that are done in a much-formatted way today. He regards fatigue as the effect caused when you are drunk by alcohol in this case. Another metaphor deaf even to the hoots accentuates the soldiers inability to hear presumably because of the loud gunshots and bombs. He states that even the largest possible noise was not audible to them. This creates a horrifying image of the soldiers at war, thus discourages glory of war. Owen uses a simile as well as a biblical reference His hanging face, like a devils sick of sin to convey a fellow soldiers miserable look since he was unfortunate in getting his mask on in time and hence he died. I believe, he writes that his face was so lynching that it represented the symptoms of an illness consisting of sins derived from the devil (who is the source of sin). He uses devil to express it given that we all identify him to be very dreadful and appalling, thus helps us to visualise the awful image of the soldier. Another example of similes Owen uses are Obscene as cancer and bitter as the cud. Both of them are used to clarify the blood that gargled out of the gas victim. He compares the disgust to cancer to facilitate his intention. Cud is the remaining bit of food that is to be chewed again by a cow and so he employs this to regard that the sufferer went through the same process. All of these are direct contrasts to Tennysons glorified poem.