For Hobbyists & Makers · Rhumb Line
Rhumb Line for a contour map
Built for hobbyists & makers exploring it for fun. Play with real physics and math, no license and no setup — just open and tinker. Simulate a contour map live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Rhumb Line vs Great CircleLive
two ways to cross an ocean
Controls
Presets
A rhumb line holds a constant compass bearing — easy to steer, and a straight line on a Mercator map, but longer. A great circle is the shortest route but its bearing changes continuously, tracing a curve on the map. Ships and planes crossing oceans follow the great circle, adjusting heading along the way to save fuel and time.
Data Inspector
Great-circle dist9272 km
Rhumb-line dist11022 km
Extra by rhumb1750 km
Governing equation
Reading this result: Steering the constant-bearing rhumb line adds about 1750 km (18.9%) over the great circle — the penalty grows with higher latitudes and a wider longitude gap.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
More with Rhumb Line
Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for hobbyists & makers?
- Yes — this version of "Rhumb Line for a contour map" is framed for hobbyists & makers exploring it for fun. Play with real physics and math, no license and no setup — just open and tinker.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.