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+--- Thread: Are Great Circle Tracks Curved ? (/showthread.php?tid=238)
Are Great Circle Tracks Curved ? - PeterB - 04-22-2022
Check out the attached illustration and decide for yourself.
Actually all tracks on the surface of a sphere must be curved in some sense or they would not stay in contact with the surface at all, but a great circle is about as straight a track as you can get while staying on the sphere. It is all a matter of changing your perspective.
Once again I don't see great circles taught this way elsewhere. No wonder people find them confusing.
Simple stuff, I know. The applied math guys are probably rolling thier eyes, but this helped me "get it."