Which of the following characteristics is true of the gnomonic projection?

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following characteristics is true of the gnomonic projection?

In gnomonic projection, the map is made by projecting points from the center of the sphere onto a plane tangent to the sphere. A key consequence is that every great circle on the sphere becomes a straight line on the map. Since meridians are great circles, they appear as straight lines in this projection. Parallels, on the other hand, are small circles (except for the equator, which is itself a great circle). Small circles do not map to straight lines under this projection, so they appear as curved lines on the plane. The equator is a special case: because it’s a great circle, it would project as a straight line, but in general, parallels other than the equator are curved. So the true characteristic is that parallels are curved while meridians are straight. This projection does not preserve area, nor does it preserve distance or shape in general.

In gnomonic projection, the map is made by projecting points from the center of the sphere onto a plane tangent to the sphere. A key consequence is that every great circle on the sphere becomes a straight line on the map. Since meridians are great circles, they appear as straight lines in this projection.

Parallels, on the other hand, are small circles (except for the equator, which is itself a great circle). Small circles do not map to straight lines under this projection, so they appear as curved lines on the plane. The equator is a special case: because it’s a great circle, it would project as a straight line, but in general, parallels other than the equator are curved.

So the true characteristic is that parallels are curved while meridians are straight. This projection does not preserve area, nor does it preserve distance or shape in general.

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