Find the distance along an arc on the surface of the earth that subtends a central angle of 1 minutes (1 minute = 1/60 degree). The radius of the earth is 3960 miles. Round to the thousandths. (3 decimal places)

1.152 miles

Explanation:

Given: central angle = 1 minute =

           radius of the earth = 3960 miles

The length of an arc = 2r

where: is the central angle, and r is the radius.

Thus,

Distance along the arc = 2r

Distance along the arc = x 2 x x 3960

                                      = x 24891.4286

                                      = 1.1524

The required distance along an arc is 1.152 miles.