Coast Guard Exams
Question 435Navigation General70% to pass

You wish to measure the distance on a Mercator chart between a point in latitude 43°30'N and a point in latitude 40°30'N. To measure 30 miles at a time, you should set the points of the dividers at _______________.

AI Explanation
The correct answer is B) 41°45' and 42°15'. On a Mercator chart, the distance between lines of latitude is not uniform. The distance between lines of latitude increases as you move away from the equator. To measure 30 miles at a time, you need to set the dividers at latitudes where the distance between them is 30 miles. Based on the given starting and ending latitudes of 43°30'N and 40°30'N, the latitudes that are approximately 30 miles apart are 41°45'N and 42°15'N. The other options are incorrect because they do not represent latitudes that are 30 miles apart in the given range.

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