So, what if the Earth is round?
Seeing Through Different Eyes | What is an image? | I'm not lost . . . I've got a map!
So what if the Earth is round?! | A new wrinkle . . . the third dimension. | Earth vs. the Center of the Galaxy

How do we know where we are on the Earth?  The Earth is round and so far we have only dealt with 2 dimensional maps.  Click on the earth to go to a web site that has a quick tutorial that will teach you important terms such as latitude and longitude. 

Go through the tutorial and come back here for a quick quiz.

1)  Does the tutorial define an origin?  If so how is it defined and where is it?

2)  Does the tutorial define a coordinate system?  If so, how is it defined?

3)  Does the tutorial define a scale length?  If so how is it defined?

4)  Could you now give someone directions from New Jersey to Australia?  How would you do it?

Now you can get from state to state and from hemisphere to hemisphere using the same technique.  Let's start thinking much, much BIGGER.  Let's find out how to get around the Milky Way Galaxy.  We might assume a system has been devised that incorporates a:

  1. Coordinate System
  2. Origin
  3. Scale Length

This system is referred to as Galactic Coordinates, but there is a surprise in store for us now!

Click here to learn about galactic navigation.