mercator

Thân thiện

Gerardus Mercator studies a globe in his workshop.

Definition

Proper noun A Flemish cartographer and geographer, Gerardus Mercator, renowned for creating the Mercator projection, a cylindrical map projection that became the standard for nautical navigation.

Usage

The term "Mercator" is used primarily to refer to the historical figure or the map projection he invented. * The Mercator projection distorts the size of landmasses, especially near the poles. * Gerardus Mercator was a key figure in the history of cartography.

Advanced Usage

• Mercator projection: A specific map projection where lines of constant compass bearing (rhumb lines) are straight, facilitating marine navigation, but which significantly exaggerates areas at high latitudes.
  • While useful for navigation, the Mercator projection gives a misleading impression of the relative sizes of continents.

Variants and Related Words

• Mercatorial (adjective): Pertaining to Mercator or his projection.
  • The mercatorial grid is a defining feature of his maps.
• Transverse Mercator projection: A variation of the Mercator projection, oriented along a meridian, commonly used in topographic and large-scale mapping.

Synonyms

• Gerardus Mercator (full Latinized name)
• Gerhard Kremer (original Flemish name)

Related Terms and Concepts

• Cartography: The science or practice of drawing maps.
• Map projection: A systematic transformation of the latitudes and longitudes of locations on the surface of a sphere or an ellipsoid into locations on a plane.
• Rhumb line: A line crossing all meridians of longitude at the same angle, representing a path of constant bearing.

Học thuật

Noun

1. Flemish geographer who lived in Germany; he invented the Mercator projection of maps of the globe (1512-1594)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• Mercator
• Gerardus Mercator
• Gerhard Kremer