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Great Circles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2016

Ian Cook
Ian Cook*
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ
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Extract

Spherical trigonometry has fallen somewhat out of fashion and so it was a salutary experience to be consulted recently by a would-be circumnavigator of the world.

A great circle route can be analysed graphically by first using a gnomonic chart. Such a chart is obtained by projection from the centre of the earth on to any plane. The distance of the plane from the centre determines the scale of the chart. On a gnomonic chart every great circle appears as a straight line and every straight line on the chart represents a great circle. Of course chart can only represent one hemisphere and even then the whole hemisphere would need an infinite chart.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Mathematical Gazette , Volume 66 , Issue 437 , October 1982 , pp. 215 - 220
Copyright
Copyright © Mathematical Association 1982

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