Table of Contents

East is not East

Prompt

“Suppose you face East and travel in a straight line.
Where do you wind up?”

Context

Estimated Time: 10 minutes, including wrap-up

This SWBQ provides a graphical demonstration that lines of latitude are not straight, since they are not great circles.

Wrap Up

A globe or other large ball and a piece of string are useful props.

  • Ask several students to present/defend their responses.
  • Have a volunteer come up and indicate two points on a globe which lie due East/West of each other.
  • Ask the volunteer to stretch a string between the two indicated points.
  • Ask whether the string can be pulled any tighter.
  • Discuss straight lines on spheres (great circles).
  • Point out that great circles go through antipodal points.
  • Conclude by indicating the great circle through the initial point, which initially points East.

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