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Denominator, go Mercator (mander.xyz)
submitted 9 months ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] 4 points 9 months ago (22 children)

Anyone know of a 2D map print of true size? All I've found print wise is Mercator or other such variations.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago (9 children)

    Let me know if I understand correctly. You want a true to life sized map of earth? 😳

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago (8 children)

    They want a 2d map of earth but with every continent to true size at scale, rather than Mercator projection where the northern hemisphere is expanded to increase their importance over the southern hemisphere.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago (4 children)

    Mercator wasn’t created in order to increase importance of the northern hemisphere, but to allow for directional rhumb lines to be drawn for shipping. For its intended purpose of navigation, it does an excellent job.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

    It may not be the intended purpose but I certainly does change how the world is seen by everyone using it to warp the mind's eye to how the world actually physically is.

    Edit: Does it do an excellent job for navigational purposes if you are shipping from Japan to Brazil or it it only excellent for shipping from the northern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere?

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago

    It works for any shipping lines

    The Mercator projection was designed for use in marine navigation because of its unique property of representing any course of constant bearing as a straight segment. Such a course, known as a rhumb (alternately called a rhumb line or loxodrome) is preferred in marine navigation because ships can sail in a constant compass direction.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercator_projection

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Perhaps if they are unaware that a 3D image of a geoid projected onto a 2D plane can cause issues, however every projection will have its own failings whether area, shape or directional (angular). Familiarity also comes into play, and i believe that is more at the root of the issue you bring up.

    As for your navigational questions, this Reddit thread may be helpful https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4s4869/eli5_how_mercator_projections_are_better_for/

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago (9 children)

    I don't know what you mean by "other such variations", but maybe you are looking for a map with something like the Mollweide projection? That's a bit of distortion in shape but trying to keep areas real.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago (3 children)

    What do they call the projections that have slices taken out of them at the oceans?

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago (2 children)

    The projection is the mathematical transformation from the curved surface of the Earth to a mathematical surface. You can have types of projections based on the mathematical surface (conical, cylindrical...), or based on the features they want to rescue from this transformation (conformal, equal-area...), but, sorry, I've never heard of a classification based on these "slices". Moreover, now that I think of it, even those projections we are familiar with have to be cut somewhere.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

    No, because Africa is larger than Russia, this shows Russia as massive.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago (2 children)

    Africa: 30.3 million km²

    Asia: 44 million km²

    Nowhere near the difference Mercator projection maps make it out to be, but Asia definitely is larger.

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