For K-12 Students · Rhumb Line
Rhumb Line for a heat map
Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate a heat 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.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for k-12 students?
- Yes — this version of "Rhumb Line for a heat map" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.