How many states can you intersect by drawing a straight line on a Map of the United States?

Question

What are two latitude and longitude points that the line goes through just for reference to replicate the line?

I believe this is known as Merkel's Probelm, by the way.

Answer 1

To a previous answerer, a true line has no width, geometrically speaking. A funny answer, though.

I got two different ways to get to 16. I used Google Earth (the ruler function under "tools") to do it.

First, I had to assume you meant a true straight line on a globe--a "great circle." Otherwise, the answer would change depending on the type of map projection you're looking at due to the distortion. I tried gosh's solution this way, and it didn't work. What projection did you use?

Line #1: From the western side of the big island of Hawaii (19 degrees 27 minutes N, 154 degrees 56 minutes 50 seconds W). Make sure the line just cuts through the corner of Illinois across the Mississippi river from Dubuque, IA. This line gets you: HI, CA, NV, UT, CO, WY, NE, IA, IL, WI, MI, NY, PA, CT, RI, and MA. This answer has the bonus of catching Ontario, Canada too.

Line #2: This one is simple to get--the line goes from Jal, NM to Mattapoisette, MA. It goes just south of Cincinnati, OH. You pick up NM, TX, OK, AR, MO, IL, IN, KY, OH, WV, PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA. The other plus for this line is that it's much shorter.

For as much time as I spent trying to figure this one out, I'd be really ticked if someone beats it! Thanks for the question.

Answer 2

I believe the answer is 15 (16 if AK). Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. There are a bunch of ways to get 14 or 15 along the East coast as well, but I believe 15 is the most. You can be able to get 16 if you include Alaska.

So in Oregon about 6° 10' N 122° 56' W

to

N.C. about 34° 16' N 77° 55' W

(you could probably get a map of the U.S. and go under a program such as Paint and draw the line yourself)
Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I used the map on page ii of the American Map Road Atlas Large Scale - Large Type 2004. From Kittery (in southeast corner of) Maine (43.088N 70.736W) to New Orleans, La. (or a mile or so west, don't know lat or long.) you touch the states of Maine, New Hampshire (Portsmouth), Massachusetts, Connecticut (the extreme northwest corner), New York, New Jersey (nw corner), Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia (the eastern most point on the eastern arm, Harpers Ferry), nw Virginia, ne Tennessee, southwestern North Carolina, nw Georgia, Alabama, se Mississippi, and Louisiana, 16 of them.

Answer 4

you can intersect all of them using a strait line. Just use a really thick line.