great-circle arc

• great circle arc

great-circle arc (plural great-circle arcs)

1. (geometry) a segment of a great circle
   • 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:

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

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

     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 ; ...

   • 1898, Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office:

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

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

     Any great-circle arc of length ${\displaystyle \theta }$ between zero and ${\displaystyle \pi }$ is uniquely identified by its two end points, say a and b.