great-circle arc

plural great-circle arcs · alternative great circle arc

1. geometrya segment of a great circle

   ... it may be swung in a meridian-plane, and a great-circle arc having a radial pivot in said meridian-plane, ...

   1898, Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office

   3 more examples

   This causes a greater deviation of the ground trace from a great-circle arc due to the increased effect of Earth's rotation.

   2006, Irfan Ali, Pierino G. Bonanni, Naofal Al-Dhahir, John E. Hershey, Doppler Applications in LEO Satellite Communication Systems, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 66

   The two axes connected by the solid but incomplete great-circle arc were measured along a single sahlfold axial surface on opposite sides of a tubular fold ; ...

   2012, E. Hansen, Strain Facies, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 85

   Any great-circle arc of length #92;theta between zero and #92;pi is uniquely identified by its two end points, say a and b.

   2002, Leo Dorst, Chris Doran, Joan Lasenby, Applications of Geometric Algebra in Computer Science and Engineering, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 81