Practice question · Multiple choice
Why does a course steered at one compass bearing plot as a straight line on Mercator and as a curve on most other projections?
Hints
- What does a sixteenth-century sailor actually need to do with a chart?
- Draw a line, read something off it, and hold it.
Show the answer
A. A course steered at one bearing plots as a straight line
Why
You draw a straight line, read the bearing, and hold it. For a sixteenth-century navigator that is not a convenience, it is the entire problem solved, and it is why the projection has never stopped being used at sea.
Practise Maps and Projections
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