Travel and Navigation

Question: Which of these is used to find direction?

Answer: A compass is a tool for finding direction. The needle, which can spin freely, always points north.

Question: How much fuel does a Boeing 747 burn each hour in flight (in liters)?

Answer: A Boeing 747 burns about 3,962 gallons (15,000 liters) of fuel an hour. A flight from San Francisco to Tokyo requires about 44,909 gallons (170,000 liters) of fuel.

Question: How many horsepower does the world’s largest truck engine have?

Answer: The largest engine in the world belongs to Liebherr T282, a truck that hauls mining rubble. Empty, it weighs more than 440,925 pounds (200,000 kilograms). It has 3,500 horsepower.

Question: A half-hitch is a kind of:

Answer: A half-hitch is a knot commonly used by sailors to secure lines loosely.

Question: Which of these parts helps steer a boat?

Answer: The rudder is attached to the back of the boat. It helps to steer the boat.

Question: Which of these is a satellite-based system of navigation?

Answer: GPS, or geosynchronous positioning system, uses satellite information to pinpoint locations on Earth.

Question: Which invention was not critical to navigation?

Answer: Lasers are a relatively new technology. The use of a sextant, compass, and clock have long allowed sailors to determine their position in open ocean without landmarks.

Question: What does an altimeter measure?

Answer: An altimeter tells a pilot how high above sea level a plane is flying.