[Proj] Terminology: what should I call 60 nautical miles?

[Clifford J Mugnier]

One minute of arc distance at what latitude?
 
On a sphere, "longitude varies as the cosine of the latitude" but we're not on a sphere, are we?
 
This stuff is not complicated enough for lay people now, so we have to add another esoteric label to shorten "60 nm?"
 
C. Mugnier
LSU

________________________________

From: proj-bounces at lists.maptools.org on behalf of Gerald I. Evenden
Sent: Mon 27-Apr-09 09:05
To: PROJ.4 and general Projections Discussions
Subject: Re: [Proj] Terminology: what should I call 60 nautical miles?



On Monday 27 April 2009 7:12:18 am Mikael Rittri wrote:
> Hello,
> I would like a term for the length unit that is 60 nautical miles.

Dare I ask why?

The "nautical mile" is a rather old fashion term handy in the days of sailing
on a chart with sextant and chronometer.

I thought everyone was supposed to go metric---an underachieved effort on this
side of the pond.

> This length unit would approximate one degree of
> arc distance, in the same way as one nautical mile
> approximates one minute of arc distance.
>
> I have thought of the phrase "degree of arc distance"
> (which I think agrees, more or less, with how Snyder uses this phrase)
> but some of my colleagues dislike it.
>
> I have also thought of the phrase "exentanautical mile",
> from Greek "exenta" = 60, but...
>
> --
> Mikael Rittri
> Carmenta AB
> SWEDEN
> www.carmenta.com
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> Proj mailing list
> Proj at lists.maptools.org
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to the absence from Jerusalem of a lunatic asylum.
-- Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist
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