USCG Exam Practice · Plot true course and distance between two charted points
On a Mercator projection chart, a rhumb line between two charted points appears as which of the following?
- AA curved arc bending toward the nearest pole
- BA straight line crossing all meridians at the same angle✓ correct
- CA great circle route connecting the two points
- DA series of connected waypoints following parallels of latitude
Why B is correct
On a Mercator projection, rhumb lines (constant-bearing courses) appear as straight lines because both latitude and longitude lines are projected as straight lines crossing at right angles. Bowditch Ch. 4 §402 states this directly.
Cited:Bowditch Ch. 4 §402
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