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    A six foot tall man stands on the water's edge at sea level. How far away will his horizon be?

    Question #130103. Asked by SisterSeagull. (Mar 21 13 10:29 AM)


    gracious1

    		The horizon is where you see it, and a six-foot-tall man has eyes at about 5-1/2 feet. When you factor in the curvature of the Earth (remember it's spherical, not flat!) this is your answer:

    SqrRt(man's eye-height in ft / 0.5736) = horizon's distance in mi
    SqrRt(5.5 / 0.5736) ~= 3.1 miles

    The formula will vary depending on the units of measure you use.

    http://science.howstuffworks.com/question198.htm

    Mar 21 13, 12:42 PM

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