Meaning of Altitude (What is, Concept and Definition)

What is Altitude:

altitude is called the vertical distance between any point on Earth in relation to sea level To calculate the altitude, the sea level is taken as a reference, and that is why the altitude is expressed in meters followed by the symbol " msnm " which means "meters above the level of the sea ​​".

Similarly, altitude is seen as a synonym for height in relation to its surface, for example:" the cross is at an altitude of 2,000 meters, so we still have to reach it.”

The altitude is related to the thermal floors , that is, the correlation that exists between the altitude and the climate-modifying factor, especially in the intertropical zone.Therefore, at a higher altitude, the ambient temperature decreases, approximately 1 ° C for every 180m of height.

Referring to the above, a high altitude It is a detrimental factor to athletes, such as: football, climbing, since at higher altitude, less oxygen which makes it difficult for athletes to breathe and perform.

The measuring instrument used for Altitude is known as altimetro , it is also used in aeronautics, as in sports that suffer from great unevenness, such as: mountaineering, cycling, climbing, skydiving, skiing.

Orthometric and ellipsoidal altitude

The altitude can be: orthometric and ellipsoidal. The orthometric altitude is characterized by being the distance of a point located above the Earth's surface, in relation to a reference geoid, meanwhile ellipsoidal altitude is the vertical distance of a point to a reference ellipsoid.

The altitudes indicated by the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) receivers are ellipsoidal, the GPS provides an error of just a few po cos meters.