In plane geometry it is a straight line. If you want to know the shortest line between two points on a globe, it will be the intervening section or arc of the great circle route that connects the points. The great circle will be a circle that cuts the globe into exactly equal parts, like the equator.
Let's be very careful here: The "great circle" of a sphere is a circle that lies on the surface ofthe sphere, so there's no way the great circle can "pass through" the sphere's center.However, in order for the circle to be a "great circle", its center must be the center of the sphere.
Yes the great circle formula is the same formula for any other circle.
A small circle is a simple circle on a two dimensional plane. The great circle is the circle around a sphere that is on the plane that intersects with the center of the sphere. It is the reason that on a flat map the paths of planes seem to curve to go to and from Europe and the North American continent.
In geometry it is called the "Great Circle".
No. A straight line on a mercator map is a path of constant bearing, but this will not generally be a great-circle route.
Navigators use a Mercator projection chart to plot great circle routes. This chart allows them to draw a straight line, which represents the shortest distance between two points on a curved surface such as the Earth. By following this route, ships and planes can save time and fuel compared to following a rhumb line route.
Airline pilots use great circle routes to a plot airline flight paths because they are often the shortest distance between take off and destination. Great circle routes take into account the curvature of the Earth.
Airline pilots use great circle routes to a plot airline flight paths because they are often the shortest distance between take off and destination. Great circle routes take into account the curvature of the Earth.
A straight route is the path taken in a straight line while the shortest distance between two points on a circle is known as the great circle route. However, while travelling the great circle around the globe, the path ahead will look like the straight route.
Since the earth is a globe, some air routes are shorter when the flight goes over the Arctic. Those flights take a part of the "great circle" and shave off hours of distance. In fact great circle routes are applicable anywhere on the globe because they are the shortest routes between any two points.
In general, no ... only if the two points are on the equator. The Mercator is probably the worst possible projection on which to try and identify great-circle routes and distances, true directions, and true sizes or shapes of anything.
Great Circle routes are used because they are the shortest route between two points on the globe.
The great circle route is the shortest route.It is just that if you plot a great circle path on a flat map (unless it is the equator or a line of longitude) it will look bent - this is an artifact of map projection.The actual difference in route lengths depends on the routes you are comparing.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The great circle route is the shortest route between two locations on a "roughly" spherical object like the earth. It is in effect the straight line between two locations along the surface of a sphere.By the straight route - I assume you mean a straight line on a 2D map. This usually does not coincide with the great circle route. The difference in length between a so-called straight route and a great circle route would then vary based on both the map projection selected and the location of the two endpoints of the journey.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------The SHORTEST line between two points on a sphere IS a GREAT CIRCLE.Also, by definition, the shortest line between two points IS the straight route.
yes they are
Great-circle routes are the shortest distance between two points on a sphere, making them the most efficient for long-distance navigation. They also help conserve fuel by reducing the total distance traveled. Additionally, great-circle routes are utilized by aircraft to take advantage of the Earth's curvature for faster travel times.
It is the shortest distance between two points on a sphere, where the sphere in question is the earth. Particularly long airline flights follow great circle routes.