Although the term altitude is commonly used to mean the height above sea level of a location, in geography the term elevation is often preferred for this usage. Vertical distance measurements in the “down” direction are commonly referred to as depth.
Do you mean by altitude?
altitude noun [C] (HEIGHT)
height above sea level: The city of Denver is situated at an altitude of almost exactly one mile. Altitude is also the distance measured by an angle made by a point on the earth to a star and to the horizon (= place where earth and sky seem to meet).
What does altitude mean for kids?
Altitude is how high something is compared to the ground, or sea level, and it’s important because of how it can affect people. Imagine the air around you and above you. The atmosphere (the air around the earth) pushes down on the earth.
What is an example of altitude?
altitude noun [C] (HEIGHT)
height above sea level: The city of Denver is situated at an altitude of almost exactly one mile. Altitude is also the distance measured by an angle made by a point on the earth to a star and to the horizon (= place where earth and sky seem to meet).
Does altitude mean height? – Related Questions
How do you measure altitude?
Altimeters on the flight deck measure definitive altitude, and use a barometer to measure atmospheric pressure. As most of us know, the higher you go, the lower the air pressure around you. This is why a pressure altimeter (really an aneroid barometer) is used to measure aviation altitude.
Does altitude mean 90 degrees?
Properties of Altitude of a Triangle
The altitude of a triangle is perpendicular to the opposite side. Thus, it forms 90 degrees angle with the opposite side.
What are 3 facts about altitude?
Effects of high altitude on humans
Altitudes above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) start to affect humans. Humans cannot live in very high altitudes above 5,500–6,000 metres (18,000–19,700 ft). Atmospheric pressure decreases at high altitudes. This affects humans because there is less oxygen to breathe.
What is the altitude of a person?
elevation; extent or distance upward; height: The altitude of the Washington Monument is 555 feet. Not to be confused with: attitude – position; disposition; feeling regarding a person or thing: a negative attitude; posture that is expressive of an emotion: an attitude of indifference.
What is altitude in climate?
Altitude or height above sea level – Locations at a higher altitude have colder temperatures. Temperature usually decreases by 1°C for every 100 metres in altitude.
How do you use altitude?
Examples of altitude in a Sentence
the air temperature at different altitudes Some visitors find it difficult to adjust to the city’s high altitude. The plane lost altitude rapidly.
Why is it colder at altitude?
The basic answer is that the farther away you get from the earth, the thinner the atmosphere gets. The total heat content of a system is directly related to the amount of matter present, so it is cooler at higher elevations.
Why is true altitude important?
True Altitude is height above mean sea level (MSL). Absolute Altitude is height above ground level (AGL). Pressure Altitude is the indicated altitude when an altimeter is set to 29.92 in Hg (1013 hPa in other parts of the world). It is primarily used in aircraft performance calculations and in high-altitude flight.
What altitude is sea level?
It is 6,356.752 km (3,949.903 mi) at the poles and 6,371.001 km (3,958.756 mi) on average.
Is sea level 0 feet?
Sea level is the base for measuring elevation. Sea level elevation is defined as 0 ft. All other elevations are measured from sea level. Those places on Earth that are above sea level have positive elevations, and those places on Earth that are below sea level have negative elevations.
Can you have negative altitude?
Negative values for the altitude mean that the object is below the horizon. Altitude is usually used together with azimuth to give the direction of an object in the topocentric coordinate system. Altitude is also frequently referred to as “elevation”, and this term was used until recently by Heavens-Above.
What is the difference between flight level and altitude?
Flight Level (FL)
Strictly speaking a flight level is an indication of pressure, not of altitude. Only above the transition level (which depends on the local QNH but is typically 4000 feet above sea level) are flight levels used to indicate altitude; below the transition level feet are used.
What altitude do planes fly?
According to USA Today, the common cruising altitude for most commercial airplanes is between 33,000 and 42,000 feet, or between about six and nearly eight miles above sea level. Typically, aircraft fly around 35,000 or 36,000 feet in the air.
Do all planes fly at the same altitude?
Pilots fly the altitude assigned by ATC. Q: Do different airlines fly at different altitudes on the same routes? A: No, altitude is not based on the airline. Assigning altitude is first-come, first-served.
How do pilots know what altitude to fly at?
The primary altitude measurement device for a pilot is an altimeter. The altimeter measures the atmospheric air pressure outside of the airplane and gives the pilot an idea of how high they are flying. It’s up to the pilot to calibrate the altimeter because atmospheric pressure changes often due to the weather.
What do pilots see when flying at night?
Pilots typically can’t see at night any better than anybody else can. To fly at night, pilots almost always rely on their instrumentation and onboard computer systems. If a pilot must fly without the aid of their instruments, they use city lights, runway lights, and even night-vision goggles.
Why do jets fly so high?
At high altitude, aircraft fuel burn is much less per mile travelled when compared to low level flight because of the reduced aerodynamic drag and improved jet engine efficiency. This means a jet aeroplane can fly much faster whilst using less fuel at a high altitude.
