A great circle will intersect the equator at...

Question 1 of 2707066636ee928f7522a1c51984b

A great circle will intersect the equator at how many degrees of longitude apart?

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Question 1 of 27070

Q

A great circle will intersect the equator at how many degrees of longitude apart?

🔍 Key Concepts

• Great circle definition and how it relates to meridians and the equator • How a great circle behaves when it crosses the equator • The pattern of longitude spacing formed by circles that cut the globe into two equal halves

💭 Think About

• Visualize the Earth as a sphere and imagine all the possible great circles that intersect the equator—how regularly spaced would their intersection points be? • Think about whether every great circle must cross the equator once or more than once, and what that implies for longitude separation. • Compare how meridians (lines of longitude) intersect the equator and ask: are meridians themselves examples of great circles?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm the formal meaning of a great circle (does it always divide the Earth into two equal hemispheres?). • Decide whether a great circle that intersects the equator does so at one point or two opposite points. • Relate the number of intersection points to the angular distance in longitude between them.