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How much shorter is the great circle route then the straight route?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
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.
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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.
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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.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
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Compare a straight route with a great circle route?
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.
Mercator projection maps are used to determine great-circle routes?
No. A straight line on a mercator map is a path of constant bearing, but this will not generally be a great-circle route.
Why do airline pilots use great circle route?
The Great Routes are the routes that take the aircraft over the northern (or southern) hemisphere and sometimes close to the North Pole. This routes are flown on long-distance flights from USA to Japan or USA to Europe. The reason these flights are flown is that it is shorter. Also, the Earth is not a perfect sphere and it is a shorter distance to fly these Northern routes. Try this. Look at a flat map and layout a direct route from Chicago to Paris, France. Then use a globe and a string and layout a route that is the shortest (using the least amount of string). See how much the northern route is shorter than the "direct route".
Why is it shorter to travel a great circle route than a straight line route?
Why is it shorter to travel a great circle? As you will see, the great circle route is the closest you can get to a 'straight line' route on the globe. What looks to you like a 'straight line' route on a map really is not straight at all. Depending on how far apart two places are, the straight line between them will pass through some part of the Earth, and with the exception of relatively short tunnels will be completely impossible to travel. All flat maps are seriously distorted in some ways; you cannot project the surface of a globe onto a flat surface without compromising some detail. What looks like a straight route across your Mercator Projection will usually be longer than necessary, but see discussion. Countless great circle routes will look like straight lines, even on Mercator Projections. Putting the following ideas together will clarify what makes the great circle route the shortest possible surface or air route between two points on earth.Every great circle cuts a globe, or a spheroidal planet like earth, into two equal halves, just as the equator does.If you imagine any plane cutting right through and containing the center of the earth, then where the plane comes out to the surface will be a great circle.The equator is a great circle, as are all of the lines of longitude (including the extensions of those lines on the other side of the poles, exactly 180 degrees of longitude over).The number of possible great circles on the earth is limitless.If you are standing on flat ground, on a circle you have drawn out that is about 5 feet in diameter, you can clearly see that your small portion of the circle is curved. The point under your left foot and the point under your right foot are connected by a curved arc of the circle. As you imagine the circle getting larger and larger, you can imagine the curve between your feet straightening out. The circle can't get any larger than a great circle, the circle that cuts the earth into two equal halves. This is why a great circle describes the shortest land route between two points on earth. This isn't noticeable in the distance between your feet, but with distances of hundreds or thousands of miles it becomes more and more important.Any two points on earth's surface can be connected by the circumference of a great circle. This is easily demonstrated with a globe and a length of strong thread or a very thin cord. Connect any two cities with ends of the cord and you can take up slack until the cord is resting on the shortest surface path between them, the great circle.Check links.If the two points are exactly opposite each other on the globe (they are called antipodes) like the north and south poles, than infinitely many great circle routes connect them.
What is the shortest distance between 2 places on the globe?
a straight line ^Wrong. A straight line is NOT the shortest distance between two places when you're on a globe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_circle This is mathematically proven using calculus. Another way to prove this is to take a globe, and get some string. Pick two points, and make a straight line with the string to measure the distance. Cut off the extra string so you are using the exact amount needed for a straight line. Now, use the great circle, and you will be able to reach the same point, and have extra string left over, proving that the great circle is shorter than the straight line.
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.
What is the definition of great circle route?
it is the circle that ut the hemisphere into two part.
What is the definition of a great circle route?
it is the circle that ut the hemisphere into two part.
Why is a great circle route often navigation?
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.
What is the shortest air route between ChicagoHelsinkiand Finland?
the shortest air route is a great circle
The shortest route between any two places on the planet is called a?
Great Circle Route
