Just read somewhere that the shortest path between two locations is an arc and not a straight line! eli5 how an arc is the shortest path for planes.
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Grab a large ball and pick two points on it. The shortest path *is* a straight line, but that goes straight through the ball. The shortest path along the surface of the ball is an arc because the surface is curved.
If you look at a flat map of the Earth, it isn’t easy to find the shortest path over long distances, because the flat map doesn’t accurately capture the curvature of the Earth. Imagine you have half a lime and you’ve scooped out the inside; now, try to make the peel flat.
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