Practice question · Multiple choice
Mercator grossly exaggerates area at high latitudes, and navigators used it for four centuries regardless. What does that trade-off show about what a projection is?
Hints
- Ask what a navigator actually needs to read off a chart.
- What does Mercator preserve in exchange for area?
Show the answer
B. That a projection is chosen for a task, not for accuracy
Why
Every projection trades one fidelity for another; there is no undistorted map of a sphere on a plane. The question is never which projection is right, but which property the user cannot afford to lose.
Practise Maps and Projections
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