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Around the World

Everyone should take the chance of traveling the world if they’re given it. My parents

and older sister left their hometown in Iraq in order to live better lives than they were living

there. First, they left to Amman, Jordan, where they enjoyed a rocky scenery with several

mountains, and stayed there for a little more than half a year. Next, they lived in Athens, Greece,

where they experienced many historical monuments and surrounding islands, for about two

years, but they were in other countries temporarily before settling here. Then, they spent a few

weeks in Tijuana, Mexico, bordering California with lovely beaches, before finally coming to the

United States (California at first, but they soon moved to Michigan). For this journey, I am

finding the shortest distances between these three destinations, starting from my current house.

Table 1
Latitude and Longitude of Each Destination
Latitude Longitude

Destination Degrees Minutes Degrees Minutes

Warren, MI N 42° 30' W 83° 4'

Amman, Jordan N 31° 56' E 35° 55'

Athens, Greece N 37° 59’ E 23° 43'

Tijuana, Mexico N 32° 31' W 117° 2'

The latitudes and longitudes of each destination being visited are listed above. In each

box, the latitude/longitude is displayed with its degrees and minutes

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90-42°30'=47°30’ 90-31°56=58°4’ 83°4'+35°55'=118°59’

Figure 1. Latitude and Longitude of Home and Amman, Jordan

The latitude of each location was subtracted from ninety to find the complementary angle

to the Prime Meridian (north). The longitude of the two locations were added to each other in

order to find the horizontal angle between them which was to be used in the spherical law of

cosines formula below.

cos(n) = cos(j)*cos(h) + sin(j)*sin(h) * cos(N)

cos(n) = cos(47°30’)*cos(58°4’) + sin(47°30’)*sin(58°4’) * cos(118°59’)
n = 86.8956
Figure 2. Solving for “n”

In the figure above, the spherical law of cosines formula was applied and each angle

found in the previous figure was inputted. Next, it was found that the angle between the two

locations was approximately 86.8956°.

D = (n/360) * 2π * 3,960
D = (86.8956/360) * 2π * 3,960
D = 6,005.8 miles
Figure 3. The Distance Between Home and Amman, Jordan

With the angle calculated in the previous figure, the arc length formula was used and the

distance came out to be 6,005.8 miles.

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90-31°56’=58°4’ 90-37°59’=52°1’ 35°55'-23°43'=12°12’

Figure 4. Latitude and Longitude of Amman, Jordan and Athens, Greece

The latitude of each location was subtracted from ninety to find the complementary angle

to the Prime Meridian (north). The longitude of the two locations were added to each other in

order to find the horizontal angle between them which was to be used in the spherical law of

cosines formula below.

cos(n) = cos(g)*cos(j) + sin(g)*sin(j) * cos(N)

cos(n) = cos(58°4’)*cos(52°1’) + sin(58°4’)*sin(52°1’) * cos(12°12’)
n = 11.67
Figure 5. Solving for “n”

In the figure above, the spherical law of cosines formula was applied and each angle

found in the previous figure was inputted. Next, it was found that the angle between the two

locations was approximately 11.67°.

D = (n/360) * 2π * 3,960
D = (11.67/360) * 2π * 3,960
D = 806.68 miles
Figure 6. The Distance Between Amman, Jordan and Athens, Greece

With the angle calculated in the previous figure, the arc length formula was used and the

distance came out to be 806.68 miles.

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90-37°59'=52°1’ 90-32°31'=57°29’ 23°43'+117°2'=140°45’

Figure 7. Latitude and Longitude of Athens, Greece and Tijuana, Mexico

The latitude of each location was subtracted from ninety to find the complementary angle

to the Prime Meridian (north). The longitude of the two locations were added to each other in

order to find the horizontal angle between them which was to be used in the spherical law of

cosines formula below.

cos(n) = cos(m)*cos(g) + sin(m)*sin(g) * cos(N)

cos(n) = cos(52°1’)*cos(57°29’) + sin(52°1’)*sin(57°29’) * cos(140°45’)
n = 100.59
Figure 8. Solving for “n”

In the figure above, the spherical law of cosines formula was applied and each angle

found in the previous figure was inputted. Next, it was found that the angle between the two

locations was approximately 100.59°.

D = (n/360) * 2π * 3,960
D = (100.59/360) * 2π * 3,960
D = 6,952.6 miles
Figure 9. The Distance Between Athens, Greece and Tijuana, Mexico

With the angle calculated in the previous figure, the arc length formula was used and the

distance came out to be 6,952.6 miles.

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90-32°31'=57°29’ 90-42°30'=47°30’ 117°2'-83°4'=33°58’

Figure 10. Latitude and Longitude of Tijuana, Mexico and Home

The latitude of each location was subtracted from ninety to find the complementary angle

to the Prime Meridian (north). The longitude of the two locations were added to each other in

order to find the horizontal angle between them which was to be used in the spherical law of

cosines formula below.

cos(n) = cos(h)*cos(m) + sin(h)*sin(m) * cos(N)

cos(n) = cos(57°29’)*cos(47°30’) + sin(57°29’)*sin(47°30’) * cos(33°58’)
n = 28.51
Figure 11. Solving for “n”

In the figure above, the spherical law of cosines formula was applied and each angle

found in the previous figure was inputted. Next, it was found that the angle between the two

locations was approximately 28.51°.

D = (n/360) * 2π * 3,960
D = (28.51/360) * 2π * 3,960
D = 1,970.14 miles
Figure 12. The Distance Between Tijuana, Mexico and Home

With the angle calculated in the previous figure, the arc length formula was used and the

distance came out to be 1,970.14 miles.

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Table 2
Final Distances Between Destinations
Destination Miles

Warren, MI to Amman, Jordan 6,005.8

Amman, Jordan to Athens, Greece 806.68

Athens, Greece to Tijuana, Mexico 6,952.6

Tijuana, Mexico to Warren, MI 1,970.14

The table above shows the final calculated shortest distances between each location along

the journey.

My journey has come to an end, and I found the shortest route of my parents’ journey

before they came to America. I visited Amman, Jordan, where I enjoyed rocky scenery and

experienced where my parents first moved to. Next, I traveled to Athens, Greece and enjoyed

beaches and historical monuments, like Acropolis, which I’ve always wanted to experience.

Then, I went to Tijuana, Mexico and enjoyed the culture and beaches in this area. This journey

has opened a whole new concept of shorter distances around the world.
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Works Cited

http://atlastours.net/jordan/amman/

http://abroad.uconn.edu/program/aifs-athens-greece-third-party/

http://www.donquijote.org/culture/mexico/places/cities/tijuana

https://www.findlatitudeandlongitude.com/
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