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Earth Science · Maps & GPS

Map Lab

Peel the globe flat, drag Greenland to the equator, trace a GPS fix from four satellites and fly the shortest way round the world.

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The course

7 worlds · 28 lessons

World 1 · Where on Earth?

FREELatitude, longitude and the numbers behind every pin
  1. 01A grid for a sphereLatitude, longitude and where they start · 7 min
  2. 02Reading and writing coordinatesDegrees, minutes, seconds and signs · 7 min
  3. 03How far is a degree?Parallels shrink, meridians don’t · 8 min
  4. 04Finding latitude from the skyThe noon Sun and the North Star · 7 min

World 2 · Peeling the Globe

PROWhy every flat map bends the truth, and how to choose how
  1. 01You cannot flatten a sphereWhy every flat map lies a little · 8 minPRO
  2. 02Cylinder, cone, planeThree ways to wrap a globe · 8 minPRO
  3. 03MercatorStraight lines for sailors · 8 minPRO
  4. 04Equal-area and compromise mapsTrading shape for size · 8 minPRO

World 3 · The True Size of Countries

PROWhat the Mercator map hides, and why web maps still use it
  1. 01Drag Greenland to the equatorHow big is it, really? · 8 minPRO
  2. 02The orange-peel theoremArchimedes and the area of a band · 8 minPRO
  3. 03Choosing the right mapStart from the question · 7 minPRO
  4. 04The map in your pocketWeb Mercator and map tiles · 8 minPRO

World 4 · How GPS Finds You

PROSatellites, clocks and the geometry of a blue dot
  1. 01Satellites that shout the timeWhat a GPS satellite sends · 8 minPRO
  2. 02TrilaterationCircles that cross · 7 minPRO
  3. 03The fourth satelliteFixing a cheap clock · 8 minPRO
  4. 04Einstein inside your phoneClocks that disagree · 8 minPRO
  5. 05Why the blue dot wobblesReal-world errors · 8 minPRO

World 5 · The Shortest Way Round

PROGreat circles, the haversine formula and why flights look curved
  1. 01Great circlesStraight lines on a ball · 7 minPRO
  2. 02Measuring a great-circle distanceThe haversine formula · 8 minPRO
  3. 03Why straight routes look curvedGreat circle vs rhumb line · 8 minPRO
  4. 04Flights in the real worldWinds, airspace and safety · 7 minPRO

World 6 · Clocks Around the World

PROWhy noon moves west, and how a clock can tell you where you are
  1. 01Noon moves westSolar time and longitude · 7 minPRO
  2. 02The longitude problemCarry home time with you · 8 minPRO
  3. 03Time zones and UTCFifteen degrees, then politics · 7 minPRO
  4. 04The date line and daylight savingWhere tomorrow begins · 8 minPRO

World 7 · Compass, Scale & Grids

PROThe map-reading skills you can use on a hillside
  1. 01Which north?True, magnetic and grid · 7 minPRO
  2. 02Scale: how much smaller than real?1:50,000 and bar scales · 7 minPRO
  3. 03Grids and a pointer to contoursLocating by metres · 8 minPRO
Map Lab — interactive 3D lab · Novareka