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Multiple Choice

Which projection family is formed by projecting the parallels and meridians onto a cone and then unfolding to a plane?

The main idea here is how a conic projection is formed. In this approach, you project the globe’s surface onto a cone that touches or intersects the sphere, and then you unwrap or unfold that cone onto a flat plane. When you do this, the parallels (the lines of latitude) become circular arcs on the cone and stay as arcs when flattened, while the meridians (the lines of longitude) map to straight lines radiating from a common point. This geometry is what defines a conic projection. It’s particularly well suited for areas with a predominantly east–west extent, and by choosing where the cone touches (the standard parallels) you can control distortion along those lines. Concrete examples include the Lambert conformal conic and the Albers equal-area projection. Other terms listed aren’t about this projection family; for instance, hachuring is a relief-shading technique, and gelatin and geostenography aren’t standard projection families.

The main idea here is how a conic projection is formed. In this approach, you project the globe’s surface onto a cone that touches or intersects the sphere, and then you unwrap or unfold that cone onto a flat plane. When you do this, the parallels (the lines of latitude) become circular arcs on the cone and stay as arcs when flattened, while the meridians (the lines of longitude) map to straight lines radiating from a common point. This geometry is what defines a conic projection. It’s particularly well suited for areas with a predominantly east–west extent, and by choosing where the cone touches (the standard parallels) you can control distortion along those lines. Concrete examples include the Lambert conformal conic and the Albers equal-area projection. Other terms listed aren’t about this projection family; for instance, hachuring is a relief-shading technique, and gelatin and geostenography aren’t standard projection families.