great circle
mathematics
Learn about this topic in these articles:
spherical geometry
- In non-Euclidean geometry: Spherical geometry
Great circles are the “straight lines” of spherical geometry. This is a consequence of the properties of a sphere, in which the shortest distances on the surface are great circle routes. Such curves are said to be “intrinsically” straight. (Note, however, that intrinsically straight and…
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spherical trigonometry
- In trigonometry: Spherical trigonometry
…by the intersection of three great circle arcs on the surface of a sphere. Spherical triangles were subject to intense study from antiquity because of their usefulness in navigation, cartography, and astronomy. (See above Passage to Europe.)
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