Question 485900: how fast would speed have to travel to cover half the earth in 14.7 hours
Answer by Theo(13342)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! the circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,900 miles +/- 1 or 2.
if you want to travel in an airplane, and the airplane is traveling at 7 miles above the earth (that's about 36960 feet), then the distance to circumnavigate the globe would be a little longer.
if the circumference is 24,900 miles, then the radius is 3962.958083 miles.
add 7 to that and you get a radius of 3969.958083 miles.
the circumference of the earth at that altitude is equal to 2 * pi * 3969.958083 miles which is equal to 24,943.9823 miles.
we're not talking a big difference, but there is a difference.
circumference on the surface of the earth is 24,900 miles.
circumference at 7 miles above the surface of the earthy is 24,943.9823 miles.
this is definitely not a big deal (it's only 43 miles) and we can ignore it for practical purposes, so we will.
the circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,900 miles.
you want to travel half the distance in 14.7 hours.
half the distance is 12,450 miles.
12,450 / 14.7 = 846.9387755 miles per hour.
that's roughly 847 miles per hour.
that's the speed you would have to travel at.
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