What is Altitude: Definition and 248 Discussions

Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometry, geographical survey, sport, or atmospheric pressure). 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.

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  1. M

    B How do I calculate the apogee of a rocket before launch?

    Is there any equation in order to know how high my rocket will go, before launching it? I suppose that if there is any, it will not take into account air drag and others, and there is no need for that. I just one to know an approximate, I am making a summer project with some friends and we had...
  2. SanSan

    How Do You Convert Atmospheric Pressure from Atm to PSI at High Altitudes?

    I have an altitude to psi problem that I can't quite figure out. I know I have to use conversions, but I'm not sure how to set them up. At an altitude of 35,000 ft, atmospheric pressure is less than 0.500 atm. Convert this pressure to pounds per square inch (psi).
  3. I

    Loss cone opening angle

    Homework Statement Hi! I need to find the opening angle of the loss cone at a given altitude, when the magnetic latitude is 65 deg. Homework Equations See below The Attempt at a Solution First, I used the following equation to calculate the magnetic field at a given altitude...
  4. T

    B Delta-v for orbit if already at ideal velocity and altitude?

    Lets assume you could fire a 100kg projectile using a coilgun at 1 degree above the horizon and have it arrive safely at 400km altitude traveling at 7.8km/s (or slightly more if that helps). How much delta-v would it need to correct its trajectory into a stable orbit? If it matters let's...
  5. Brian T

    Best Place to View Stars: North Pole

    From my astrophysics class, we were given that the minimum altitude of a star relative to your latitude on Earth (\phi) is given by: $$h_{min} = \delta + \phi - 90°$$ (where \delta is the declination angle of the star) Supposing you were trying to view as many stars as possible in the night sky...
  6. D

    How does the altitude of an airplane affect the velocity?

    Homework Statement How does the altitude of an airplane affect the measurement of the velocity, when using a Pitot tube to measure the speed? The Pitot tube is horizontal, with one end open and another closed. The stagnation pressure is measured at the end of the Pitot tube, and the static...
  7. A

    Why they don't increase altitude of ISS to overcome drag

    Experts - Why they don't increase altitude of ISS to overcome slight atmospheric drag it faces. Due to this, they need to make altitude corrections frequently to ISS. I want to know, why they can not put ISS in higher orbit where there is almost nil atmospheric drag (or may be altitude...
  8. Y

    Is there an Altitude Dependence on Helmholtz Free Energy?

    Homework Statement [/B] The density of nitrogen molecules is larger at a sea level than at a higher elevation. Assuming thermal equilibrium, what is the altitude dependence of the (Helmholtz)free energy per particle? Homework Equations F=U-TS, not sure if anything else is relevant The Attempt...
  9. 3

    Finding angle and altitude using distance and time?

    Homework Statement I need an equation for a physics project, and I'm not sure which to use. I am given the distance and time variables, however I don't have the angle or altitude they are looking for. Which equation do I need to use? Homework Equations Velocity related equations? fab five...
  10. 3

    Find Altitude & Angles for Physics Rocket Lab HW

    Homework Statement I have the time and distance measurements. We shot it straight up, how can I find the altitude and angles? Times: (6.58 sec, 23 m), (6.90 sec, .6 m) (6.20 sec, 10 m). The time represents how long it takes for the rocket to shoot up and fall, the distance is the measurement...
  11. M

    How high is a spaceship after accelerating to 340 km/h in 1.1 minutes?

    Homework Statement A spaceship lifts off vertically with constant acceleration and reaches a speed of 340 km/hin 1.1 min . What is the ship's altitude at t = 66 s ? Express your answer to two significant digits and include the appropriate units. Homework Equations xf = xi + v*delta t The...
  12. D

    High Altitude Balloon Internal Pressure Calculation?

    One of my hobbies is launching high altitude weather balloons carrying video cameras and scientific instruments to record various environmental parameters at high altitude — 90,000 to 100,000-feet. I'm planning another project and I was wondering how much pressure is being exerted inside my...
  13. kyle Bacon

    Does the atmosphere cool with altitude due to gravity?

    I read an article a day or so ago titled Hydrostatic Lapse, which makes the case for a phenomenon that I thought was well and truly confirmed; that gravity is responsible for the cooling of air with altitude. However I discover in the sequel article The Gemini Cycle that this phenomenon is...
  14. caters

    Speed, altitude, and horizontal distance

    I have thrown several things from balls to paper airplanes and I have noticed that the faster I throw something the longer it stays at any given altitude. The slower I throw something the shorter it stays at a given altitude. Also I have noticed that fast objects slow down faster than slow...
  15. B

    GPS Altitude Mystery at Sea Level - Solved?

    I'm a programmer/electronics student and I recently bought a GPS which I hooked up serially with my laptop. I didn't get into much detail of encoding the string which is output from the TX/RX pins of the GPS so I downloaded, a ready made program called "ublox 6". Longitude and latitude are...
  16. F

    Astronomy: Sun azimuth from altitude, hour angle, and declination

    Homework Statement Hi everybody, I am trying to do a numerical aplication of change of coordinate system to another; the objective is to calculate the azimut of the sun knowing the altitude, hour angle and declination . Homework Equations Cosh * Sina = Cosδ * Sin H where a is the azimut h is...
  17. M

    Calculating Density of High Altitude Air Using Ideal Gas Law

    Homework Statement Treat the atmosphere as an ideal gas with a uniform temperature of 200 K. Find the density at 20 km. R= 260 N*m/(kg*k) g= 3.92 m/s^2 rho(0)= 0.015 kg/m^3 Homework Equations P=rho*R*T dp/dz= -rho*gThe Attempt at a Solution I found the pressure at ground level using...
  18. D

    Calculating pressure in high altitude?

    Homework Statement What is the change in pressure on a special-op soldier who must scuba dive at a depth of 20 m in seawater one day and parachute at an altitude of 7.6 km the next day? Assume that the average air density within the altitude range is 0.87 kg/m3. Homework Equations p=p0 + ρgh...
  19. Bassa

    Altitude of Satellites above the Surface of the Earth

    Homework Statement A) Suppose you are on Earth's equator and observe a satellite passing directly overhead and moving from west to east in the sky. Exactly 12.0 hours later, you again observe this satellite to be directly overhead. How far above the Earth's surface is the satellite's orbit...
  20. R

    Calculating Altitude from Sonic Boom and Angle of Sight

    Homework Statement You hear the sonic boom of a high-speed jet plane exactly 4.50 s after it passes directly overhead in level flight. At the time you hear the boom, you see the plane at an angle of 16.0 o above the horizon. Assume that the speed of sound at the altitude of the plane is 325...
  21. gcombina

    How do i find gravity given a radius and an altitude?

    Homework Statement What is the acceleration due to gravity at an altitude of 1.00 x 10^6 above the Earth's surface, given that the radius of the Earth is 6.38 x 10^6 m? How do i go about solving that? Homework Equations Using g = Gm/r^2 The Attempt at a Solution g= GMm/(R+h)^2 R= radio of...
  22. anemone

    MHB Finding $\angle QCA$ from Altitude $AM$ of Triangle $ABC$

    If $Q$ is a point on the altitude $AM$ of triangle $ABC$, and that $\angle QBA=20^{\circ}$, $\angle QBC=40^{\circ}$ and $\angle QCB=30^{\circ}$, find $\angle QCA$.
  23. S

    Drawing a Triangle with Side a=4 cm, Altitude 3 cm, and Angle α=60°

    Homework Statement Side ##a=4 cm##, altitude to side a is 3 cm , angle ##\alpha =60 °##. How can I draw that? Step by step Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution
  24. J

    Calculate CO concentration at high altitude

    Question: You are cooking in a tent at 17,000ft with outside air temp at -15F. The concentration of CO in the tent is 40ppm. Calculate the equivalent CO concentration in mg/m^3. First, I converted 17000ft to atm and got 501.5atm, which seems very wrong. Next, I converted -15F to...
  25. Rookie

    Rocket Thrust, Acceleration, Velocity and Altitude

    Having some trouble with this problem. I'm not sure if the first part is correct, I just need some feedback on that. Also I'm not sure how to calculate velocity or altitude after 1 second. Any help would be awesome! Homework Statement A rocket has an initial mass of 4000kg, of which 3000kg is...
  26. Y

    Finding change in altitude, and speed in x direction and y direction

    1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known A crazed ostrich names rhomboid runs along a mountain path with coordinates given by r(t) = < e^t, e^-t, sqrt(2) t> B) what is the change in rhomboids altitude from t=0 to t= 10 C) what is rhomboids speed in x direction when t=4 D)...
  27. K

    Finding impact speed of a high altitude free fall

    If we neglect the effects of air resistance, the impact speed of a body of mass m released from rest at an altitude of 2 x 10^8 m above the surface of Earth (mass of Earth = M = 5.99 x 10^24 kg, radius of Earth = 6.37 x 10^6 m) It's a multiple choice and I think I have it, but I just want to...
  28. S

    Aircraft: velocity + altitude measurement; simply or not?

    Hi! I'm breaking my head about the following problem: Consider an A/C at a certain velocity flying at a certain altitude. The A/C measures it's speed via the difference in total- and static-pressure and applying bernoulli. Now the aircraft accelerates. What happens? At this point I get...
  29. R

    Directional derivatives for altitude

    Homework Statement Suppose you are standing at the point (-100,-100,360) on a hill that has the shape of the graph of z=500-0.006x2-0.008y2. In what direction should you head to maintain a constant altitude? Homework Equations Duf = ∇f\bulletu formula for directional derivative...
  30. S

    Can You Verify My Equations for Rocket Flight?

    Hi I have written a set of equations for rocket flight (below) as i need to know the final altitude at various configurations (fuel mass/payload/exhaust mass flow/thrust). I would ask if someone can please verify if this is correct (i have compared the results to results gained from...
  31. Y

    How Does Altitude Affect Temperature Change?

    Help please -- Change in temperature over altitude Homework Statement Combine the equations dP/dT=-μgp/RT and the vapor pressure to find the rate dT/dz (use the chain rule). Homework Equations dP/dT=-μgp/RT, μ is the molecular weight dT/dz The Attempt at a Solution My textbook...
  32. U

    Triangle with median and altitude

    Homework Statement In triangle ABC with A as obtuse angle, AD and AE are median and altitude respectively. If BAD = DAE=EAC, then sin^3(A/3)cos(A/3) equals Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution CE = a/2. Let DE = x. Then BD = a/2 - x. Let AE = p, AD = q. For ΔADB \cos...
  33. J

    What is the Maximum Altitude of a Rocket Launched with Constant Acceleration?

    Homework Statement A rocket is launched straight up with constant acceleration. Four seconds after liftoff, a bolt falls off the rocket. The bolt hits the ground 8 seconds later. Three seconds after the bolt falls off, the rocket's engines fail. How high does the rocket go before it begins...
  34. A

    Finding altitude of a satellite if you know it's radius and mass

    Homework Statement A 135 kg satellite experiences a gravitational force by the Earth of 960 N. What is the radius of the satellite's orbit. And altitude? I already found the radius and I came up with 7489.99 km. I just need help finding the altitude. Homework Equations Equation for...
  35. MarkFL

    MHB Find the altitude of the triangle with minimum area

    Consider the isosceles triangle circumscribed about the ellipse: Find the altitude of the triangle when its area is minimized.
  36. X

    Geopotential/pressure altitude

    Homework Statement Pressure altitude = 4500 ft Temperature = 95 F sea level pressure = 28.9 in HG Find density altitude Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I need to look up more info on a standard atmosphere table, and I'm confused whether the altitude of 4500 ft...
  37. A

    Sensitive barometer indicating altitude

    This is a cry for help. I posted a question under General Physics, titled Sensitive Barometer to Show Altitude on 13 June and have received no replies yet.
  38. A

    Sensitive barometer to show altitude

    I'm having difficulty reproducing an experiment I remember from high school. It's basically a glass bottle with a rubber stopper through which runs a glass tube, bent to form a horizontal portion. A drop of water sits in the horizontal portion. When the external air pressure changes, the air in...
  39. A

    Delta V as a Function of Altitude

    Greetings everyone! I have a question on how the delta-V required to reach different orbits is determined. I refer to lift-off delta-V. I'm curious to find the relationship between altitude and delta V required to get to the height. From what I have found out, the lift-off delta v to a...
  40. T

    Jumping off from a high altitude and the landing.

    So I recently watched "Warm bodies" with some of my friends. There was a scene where a the man jumps from a relatively high building while holding the girl in his arms, and lands into a pool, while keeping the girl on top, so as to "save" her from the impact. One thing really bugged me ; Can...
  41. M

    Altitude where Earth's magnetic field will no longer affect a compass

    Hi, The Earth's magnetic field at the surface is roughly 0.5 Gauss or 0.05 mT. If the Earth's field strength diminishes in proportion to the inverse square of the distance, surely the field is going to be negligible at 10,000m altitude. Yet as far as I am aware it will still have an effect...
  42. B

    High Altitude Balloon Payload Heat Transfer

    I would like eventually compute the battery duty cycle required to keep a high altitude balloon payload somewhat temperature controlled. On my last flight I failed the GPS tracker due to unknown cause (maybe CTE). At any rate the cold temperatures are not good for components, accelerometer...
  43. totallyclone

    Low altitude satellites orbiting around planet with twice radius

    Homework Statement Two remote planets consist of identical material, but one has a radius twice as large as the other. IF the shortest possible period for a low altitude satellite orbiting the smaller planet is 40 minutes, what is the shortest possible period for a similar low altitude...
  44. G

    Rocket Project - need to find mass of rocket to reach 15 m altitude

    Rocket Project -- need to find mass of rocket to reach 15 m altitude I have a project for grade 11 physics, i have to create a rocket that reaches precisely 15 m altitude, and all I am given is the thrust profile of the engine (force(N) vs time(s) graph) It is an Estes A8-5 engine i have...
  45. D

    Backpacking Canister Stove - Canister Pressure at Altitude

    I'm raising these two questions based upon something I read on Backpackinglight.com - see link #1 - having to do with the internal pressure of fuel canisters filled at sea level and used at 6,000 feet. The first question has to do with the boiling point of n-butane used in the test - see link...
  46. R

    Altitude of Satellite Orbit in 4.4 Hours

    1. At what altitude will a satellite complete a circular orbit of the Earth in 4.4 hours? Homework Equations T^2 = ((4π^2)(r^3))/GM The Attempt at a Solution Used the equation and plugged all the information, and solved, but for a weird reason it comes wrong, maybe I should...
  47. J

    How altitude effects gas flow rate or not?

    I am considering the effects on volumetric and mass flow rate for two conditions: Condition 1) 1013mBar, 21C (Air density as per) Condition 2) 700mBar (10,000ft) 21C (Air density as per) Setup: A variable flow restrictor is connected to a constant source of oxygen at 50 psig. The variable...
  48. C

    What is the Maximum Altitude?

    Homework Statement A rocket, initially at rest, is fired vertically with an upward aceleration of 10m/s². At an altitude of .50 km, the engine of the rocket cuts off. What is the maximum altitude it achieves?Homework Equations V² = V_o² + 2aΔx t = (V-V_o)/a The Attempt at a Solution Well I...
  49. S

    Why does air density decrease as we go higher in altitude?

    As we go higher up a mountain, the air pressure decreases. But why would that cause the air density to decrease? Since pressure is hpg, so if h decreases pressure decreases but what causes the air density to decrease as well? Thanks for the help :)
  50. Biosyn

    Velocity of satellite at specific altitude

    Homework Statement How fast must a satellite 10,000 miles above Earth's surface travel, and how long does it take to complete one orbit of Earth? Homework Equations v^2 = g*r The Attempt at a Solution 10,000 miles + radius of Earth = 14,000mi = v^2 = (9.8)(2.253*10^7m)...
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