William P O'Brien Jr 2003 Eur. J. Phys. 24 101 doi:10.1088/0143-0807/24/1/311
William P O'Brien Jr
Show affiliationsStudents discover the equivalence between plausible geographic variables (co-latitude and longitude) of the Earth and less-familiar geometric variables (polar and azimuthal angles) of spherical polar coordinates by collecting and analysing positional data recorded during field exercises with a handheld global positioning system (GPS) receiver. This pedagogical approach to teaching spherical geometry, based on field experience rather than classroom theory, uses GPS technology to capture the curiosity of contemporary students, technical or otherwise, who might not normally find the topic of the spherical polar coordinate system comprehensible, relevant or interesting.
91.10.Fc Space geodetic surveys
Issue 1 (January 2003)
Received 5 August 2002
Published 31 December 2002
William P O'Brien Jr 2003 Eur. J. Phys. 24 101
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