See also:

• GREAT

GREAT CIRCLE  . The circle in which a See also:

• SPHERE (Gr. vclsa?pa, a ball or globe)

sphere is cut by a See also:

• PLANE

plane is called a " See also:

• GREAT

great circle," when the cutting plane passes through the centre of sphere . Treating the See also:

• EARTH
• EARTH (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Erde, Dutch aarde, Swed. and Dan. jord; outside Teutonic it appears only in the Gr. 'pq'e, on the ground; it has been connected by some etymologists with the Aryan root ar-, to plough, which is seen in
• EARTH, FIGURE OF
• EARTH, FIGURE OF THE

earth as a sphere,the meridians of See also:

• LONGITUDE (from Lat. longitudo, " length ")

longitude are all great circles . Of the See also:

• PARALLELS

parallels of See also:

• LATITUDE (Lat. latitudo, latus, broad)

latitude, the See also:

• EQUATOR (Late Lat. aequator, from aequare, to make equal)

equator only is a great circle . The shortest See also:

• LINE

line joining any two points is an arc of a great circle . For " great circle sailing " see See also:

• NAVIGATION (from Lat. navis, ship, and agere, to move)

NAVIGATION .