Nautical Math Measurement Activity printable pdf download

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Nautical Math Measurement Activity

Think you’re in a league of your own? You might be miles off! Get deep

into this activity and learn about math at sea.

1. You must convert the ocean measurements using nautical

calculations.

2. Answer the following questions. Use the conversion table to help

you solve the following problems.

Questions:

1. How many feet are in a nautical mile? Meters are in a nautical mile?

2. How many feet are in a league? Meters are in a league?

3. Convert the deepest point in the ocean, the Marianas Trench at a depth of 35,802 feet, to

fathoms, leagues, and meters.

4. The largest and fastest marine fish is the blue fin tuna weighing 1,500 pounds and swims up to

55 miles per hour. How fast is this in knots?

5. Convert 20,000 leagues to statute miles. Is it possible for such depths to occur in the ocean?

Conversion Table:

1 fathom = 6 feet

100 fathoms = 1 cable length

10 cables length = 1 nautical mile

1 nautical mile = 1.151 statute miles (length of a minute of longitude at equator)

3 nautical miles = 1 league

1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour = 1.151 statute miles per hour

10 chains = 1 furlong = 201.17 meters

60 nautical miles = 1 degree of a great circle of earth (latitude)

1 statute mile = 5280 feet

1 nautical mile = 6076.115 feet

Note: Statute miles is what we know as miles and is a measurement of distance over land.

Nautical miles are a measurement over water.

Origin of Nautical Terms

Fathom - Sailors use to throw a line into the water, wait until it hit the bottom, pull it back up, while

measuring the length of the line from finger tip to finger tip. The arm span of an average sailor was 6

feet and called a fathom.

Knot - Lines use to be thrown over the sides of ships to determine speed. Each line was divided into

47 ft. 3 in. sections and was called knots. The line was allowed to run over the ship's side while a 28-

second glass was emptying itself. The length of the knot was derived from the proportion that one hour

(3600 sec) is to 28 seconds as one mile (6076.115 ft.) is to the length of one knot (47 ft. 3 in.)

Nautical Math Measurement Activity