A rhumb line is also known as which term?

A rhumb line is also known as which term?

• A. Loxodrome
• B. Geodesic
• C. Great circle
• D. Meridian

Answer: (A)

A rhumb line is a path of constant bearing on the Earth's surface, which means the heading you maintain stays the same as you travel. The term for this same curve is a loxodrome. On a globe, a rhumb line crosses every meridian at the same angle, and on a Mercator projection it appears as a straight line, simplifying navigation by maintaining a steady compass direction. This is different from a geodesic or great circle, which is the shortest distance between two points on a sphere but does not maintain a constant bearing. A meridian is simply a line of longitude. So the correct term that names the same concept as a rhumb line is loxodrome.

A rhumb line is a path of constant bearing on the Earth's surface, which means the heading you maintain stays the same as you travel. The term for this same curve is a loxodrome. On a globe, a rhumb line crosses every meridian at the same angle, and on a Mercator projection it appears as a straight line, simplifying navigation by maintaining a steady compass direction. This is different from a geodesic or great circle, which is the shortest distance between two points on a sphere but does not maintain a constant bearing. A meridian is simply a line of longitude. So the correct term that names the same concept as a rhumb line is loxodrome.