Two students in different parts of New York State measure the altitude of Polaris is above the horizon. The student near New York City finds the angle to be 41 degrees. The student near Massena finds the angle to be 45 degrees. Which state is best supported by this information.

(1) The orbit of the earth is elliptical
(2) The surface of the earth is curved

I think is one. If I'm wrong please tell me why because I was having trouble in this question.

Please help but not only teachers anyone!?!?

It is clearly #2.

Since both observations were made at the same time, the orbit traveled by the planet can have nothing to do with it. Only separate observations at different times could indicate how the earth has moved.

If the earth were flat, the star is so distant that all observations from earth would have the same angle of elevation (within a few micro-seconds of each other). The only way two such different measurements could happen is if the direction of the vertical is quite different at different latitudes. Hence, the surface is curved.

Thank You Steve!!!! :)

Laruen:

Google "celestial navigation".

The best-supported option based on the given information is option (2) - The surface of the earth is curved.

To understand why, let's break down the process:

First, we need to know that the altitude of Polaris, also known as the North Star, is equal to the observer's latitude.

The student near New York City measures an altitude of 41 degrees, while the student near Massena measures an altitude of 45 degrees.

Now, if the Earth's surface were flat, we would expect the altitude of Polaris to be the same for both students since they are in the same state, New York. However, since the altitudes measured are different, we can infer that the surface of the Earth is curved.

Due to the Earth's curvature, the distance between the two students (New York City and Massena) along the surface of the Earth is greater than a straight line connecting them. As a result, the angles between their respective lines of sight to Polaris are different.

Therefore, based on the given information, option (2) - The surface of the earth is curved is the best-supported choice.