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Difficulty: EasyThe Earth as a Planet and Earth Movements

The Earth completes a full rotation of 360∘360^\circ on its axis every 24 hours. How many degrees of longitude does the Earth rotate through in 3 hours?

Answer: 45 degrees

Answer

45 degrees
Because the Earth completes one full 360∘360^\circ rotation in 24 hours, its speed of rotation is 15∘15^\circ per hour (360∘÷24360^\circ \div 24). In a time span of 3 hours, it turns through 15∘×3=45∘15^\circ \times 3 = 45^\circ of longitude.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Calculate the rotation rate of the Earth per hour.
15 degrees per hour
The Earth turns 360 degrees in 24 hours, so 360 divided by 24 equals 15 degrees per hour.
2
Calculate the total longitudinal rotation in 3 hours.
45 degrees
Multiplying the rate of 15 degrees per hour by 3 hours gives 45 degrees.

Key Concept

Earth's Rotational Angular Speed and Longitude
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

The Earth as a Planet and Earth Movements

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