10 POINTS! How does a Global Positioning Satellite system locate your car?

especially as it relates to trigonometry?

please be clear and specific. examples would be nice, as well

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One Response to “10 POINTS! How does a Global Positioning Satellite system locate your car?”

  1. First of all, you have to have something that tells the system to track you to begin with. While trig could be used to figure out the relative angles, that is going to an extreme that makes the math quite complicated. The reason is that any one of the satellites could be "seeing" your signal at zero degrees relative to the vehicle.All of these satellites are in geosynchronous orbit, at the equator. They are also about 22,000 miles out so that just about any point on the earth can be seen by them, as well as being seen as well. By triangulation of your signal, all that the system needs is 3 satellites at 120 degree points to find out where you are. Your signal carries an identification code so that the system knows that the signal is a valid signal provided you are on active transmit. If your device is receive only, it is still programmed to know one satellite from another, so that it "hears" the locater information being transmitted and provides the information to your display that tells you where you are, +/- about 100 yards.

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