## sloppycanada one year ago Write 15 degrees 26' 29" using decimal degrees. Round your answer to the nearest thousandth. I don't want someone to do this for me, please explain it to me.

that is something you need to use a calculator

scientific calculator to be exact

@jim_thompson5910 When you get the chance...

4. jim_thompson5910

the 26' means 26 minutes or 26 arcminutes the 29"  means 29 seconds or 29 arcseconds

5. jim_thompson5910

Rules: 1 degree = 60 arcminutes 1 arcminute = 60 arcseconds

6. jim_thompson5910

sound familiar?

Yes.

8. jim_thompson5910

using those rules, we can write 26 arcminutes as (26/60) degrees 60 arcminutes will give you a full degree. So 26 arcminutes is going to be a fraction (smaller than 1) of a degree

9. jim_thompson5910

1 degree = 60 arcminutes 1 arcminute = 60 arcseconds means 1 degree = 60*60 = 3600 arc seconds so 29 arcseconds = (29/3600) degrees

Do I divide?

That would be .008

12. jim_thompson5910

so, 15 degrees 26' 29" = (15 degrees) + (26/60 degrees) + (29/3600 degrees) 15 degrees 26' 29" = (15 + 26/60 + 29/3600) degrees 15 degrees 26' 29" = ??? degrees

15.441

14. jim_thompson5910

yeah I'm getting 15.4413888888889

If I were to round that to the nearest thousandth, it's be 15.440

16. jim_thompson5910

15.441 actually

Alright, the next thing asks me to change the 29 to 9. so it'd be 15 degrees 26' and 9"

Would that just be 15.436?

19. jim_thompson5910

looks good 15 + 26/60 + 9/3600 = 15.4358333333333 ---> 15.436

45 degrees 9' 30"

45 + 9/60 + 30/3600 = 45.158

22. jim_thompson5910

looks good $\color{red}{45} \text{ degrees}, \color{blue}{9} \text{ minutes}, \color{green}{30} \text{ seconds} = (\color{red}{45} + \color{blue}{9}/60 + \color{green}{30}/3600) \text{degrees}$