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-- The 'great circle' route is the shortest distance between any two places on Earth (or on any other sphere).
-- A great circle is a circle on the surface whose center is at the center of the Earth.
-- The phrase "around the globe" is really not too clear.
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What is great circles?
the shortest way to get from one location on earth to another
Which ocean current in the great the Southern Ocean whips around the globe unhindered by land?
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current circles eastward around Antarctica.
Which meridian on the globe are great circles?
No meridian is a great circle. Each meridian is a semi-circle, extending between the poles.
The shortest distance between two points on the globe can be found by drawin a?
Straight line chord that tunnels through the globe. The shortest arc on the surface of the globe - which you may have wanted to ask about but did not - is found by drawing a great circle. This is the circle whose centre is the centre of the globe and whose circumference passes through the two points.
Why are great-circle paths commonly used in navigation?
Because on a globe, a great-circle route is the shortest route between two places.
Why is a great- circle route often used in navigation?
Great Circle routes are used because they are the shortest route between two points on the globe.
Why are lines of longitude called great circles?
Because they make big circles around the Earth.
Why are the equator and all lines of longitude called great circles?
The equator and all lines of longitude are called great circles because the represent the circumference of the earth. The other latitude lines along the globe are smaller then the actually circumference.
What is the shortest line between any two points?
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.
A imaginary line that follows the curve of the earth the shortest distance between two points on a globe?
... is called a Great Circle arc.
How is the great circle and great circle route the same?
They are very closely related. Any great circle route moves along the circumference of a great circle around the globe. If a route does not stay on the circumference of a great circle, it is not a great circle route.It is easy to see what great circles are on the earth, and you can easily demonstrate them if you have a globe handy*. First, imagine a sphere with no lines or markings on it of any kind. You can draw many different circles on the globe, from very tiny to very large. As you think about how large circles can get on a globe, something may occur to you. There is clearly a limit to how big a circle can get on any given globe. Not only that, but if you think about it it is clear that the largest circle you can draw on a globe will cut the globe into two exactly equal halves. Just like the equator.Imagine that you are standing up right on the rim of a circle, as if you were standing at the equator. Imagine the circle getting bigger and bigger, way beyond the limits of the earth. As the imaginary circle gets bigger and bigger, your little part of it gets closer and closer to a straight line! If you're clever and coordinated enough to be able to stand on a ball, you can see that your little part of the circumference is very curved in comparison.Putting these ideas together, you see that if you want to go from one point on earth's equator to another point on the equator, following the equator (in the right direction of course) will be the shortest possible way to go. The equator and all lines of longitude (including the parts on the other side of the poles) are great circles. But any two points on the globe can be connected by part of the circumference of a great circle. This is what leads some great circle routes to look very curved if they are plotted out on most standard map projections.*Go to your globe, and have a length of strong thread handy. Any thin, very flexible cord will do. Find Washington, DC, and also find Moscow, Russia. Take your cord and extend it over the globe with one thumb holding the cord at Moscow and the other holding it at Washington. Keep taking up the slack as you gently move the cord back and forth. The cord is plotting out for you the great circle route between the cities. Obviously, the shortest length of your cord will represent the shortest path. Whenever you do this with a globe, the path your cord traces will be part of a great circle. Go to a map and see how odd looking your plotted route would look.
What are the great circles of earth?
A great circle is a circle on a sphere that divides the sphere into two equal halves. It is the longest distance that can be traveled on the surface of a sphere. The equator can be described as a great circle, as can each line of longitude. See the related link for more information. A great circle route is the shortest distance between any two points on the earth, and is always a curve on a plane containing the two points and the center of the earth. It is the largest possible circle that can be made on the earth's surface that contains the two points.
