USCG Exam PracticePlot true course and distance between two charted points
On a Mercator projection chart, rhumb lines appear as which of the following?
- A. Curved arcs converging toward the poles
- ✓ Straight linesCorrect
- C. Great circles
- D. Hyperbolic curves
Why B is correct
The Mercator projection presents rhumb lines (constant bearings) as straight lines. This is one of its primary advantages for coastal navigation. (Bowditch Ch. 4 §402)
Cited:Bowditch Ch. 4 §402