& if you can distinguish these apples from these oranges
you can have either or both of them
but please understand that they are 2 entirely different fruits
you can speak in terms of lines that appear straight on maps
as we have been doing
& you can speak in terms of lines that actually are straight
as we have also been doing
the thing that unites these 2 distinct topics is
the line of sight
aka the shortest distance between 2 points
aka the great circle route between them
so a line you can sight between intervisible markers will both
appear straight on good maps & actually be straight
beyond that
i believe you may be headed off in 2 different directions with this
also i think you may be right to consider the equator not a
parallel of latitude
since latitude is normally defined as an angular relationship to
the equatorial plane
& thus the equator itself technically has no latitude
indeed it is sometimes even called zero latitude
but of course it is a great circle
& of course it is a nonmeridional line of constant bearing
& of course it is both rightly depicted as
& actually is
a straight line
in the horizontal plane
--- In
BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com, Michael Kaufman
<mikekaufman79@y...> wrote:
> Yes, but I think the Equator would be the exception to
> this rule. Of course this is assuming the earth is a
> perfect sphere. But we know that it is just an
> approximation, and its irregular shape varies.
>
> --- "Lowell G. McManus" <mcmanus71496@m...> wrote:
> > Well, this is a technicality, but...
> >
> > Any parallel of latitude, or any other line of
> > constant bearing that is not a
> > meridian of longitude, is not straight. Only an arc
> > of a great circle is a
> > "straight" line. Even then, it is straight only in
> > the horizontal dimension,
> > since it curves with the surface of the earth and
> > probably goes up hill and down
> > as well.
> >
> > Lowell G. McManus
> > Leesville, Louisiana, USA
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Michael Kaufman" <mikekaufman79@y...>
> > To: <BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com>
> > Sent: Friday, March 05, 2004 4:14 PM
> > Subject: Re: [BoundaryPoint] Re: Strange section
> > chit border
> >
> >
> > > Which leads to the question of which manmade
> > segments
> > > are NOT straight. The only thing that comes to my
> > > mind is the DE-PA Arc (or Arcs). Are there any
> > world
> > > class examples? I can not think of one, but I may
> > be
> > > forgetting about something.
> > >
> > > --- m06079 <barbaria_longa@h...> wrote:
> > > > --- In BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com, "Peter
> > > > Smaardijk"
> > > > <smaardijk@y...> wrote:
> > > > > Note also that it is a municipal exclave of
> > > > Innerferrera.
> > > > > Cf.
> > > >
> > >
> >
> http://www.innerferrera.ch/innerferrera/geschichte.html
> > > >
> > > > (mentions
> > > > > a territory exchange with Italy in 1962/63 as
> > the
> > > > cause).
> > > > > Peter S.
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com, "chris
> > > > schulz"
> > > > <23568@g...>
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > > > Thats right,
> > > > > >
> > > > > > as i know its result of special interests
> > of
> > > > switzerland.
> > > > > > the shown situation is from val di lei.
> > > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> http://www.home.pages.at/maxifant/Frames/val-di-lei.htm
> > > >
> > > > (german)
> > > > > > when the wall had been build, switzerland
> > wanted
> > > > to save
> > > > this wall
> > > > > by itself,
> > > > > > because in the case the wall would be hit
> > (by a
> > > > bomb or
> > > > whatever)
> > > > > all the water would come to the val di Avers
> > in
> > > > Switzerland.
> > > > > > so now switzerland can save the wall with
> > own
> > > > guns,...
> > > > > >
> > > > > > regards, chris
> > > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > From: Artur Kroc
> > > > > > To: BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com
> > > > > > Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 10:07 PM
> > > > > > Subject: [BoundaryPoint] Strange section
> > chit
> > > > border
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > This section looks strange - like african
> > > > borders - like made
> > > > by
> > > > > ruler...
> > > >
> > > > straight looking sections of borders are
> > actually
> > > > fairly common
> > > > everywhere
> > > >
> > > > indeed they occur wherever a border runs
> > directly
> > > > between 2
> > > > markers
> > > > or in other words
> > > > just about everywhere there is a manmade rather
> > than
> > > > a natural
> > > > delineation
> > > >
> > > > & that means the great majority of the
> > individual
> > > > delineations in
> > > > the world
> > > >
> > > > it is just that a much larger scale map is
> > needed to
> > > > see most of
> > > > them