Why do different map projections look so different? Why isn’t there a good way to flatten a globe?

Question

Inspired by [this post](https://www.instagram.com/p/B6QjaMAHAzm/?igshid=176ja0au37qak)

In: Other

Answer 1

The projection of a globe onto a 2D plane is a mathematical transformation or function from a sphere in 3D to a 2D plane. Unfortunately, there is no transformation that preserves both the distance between two points and the angle created by three points.

That is, if we take three points on the globe with known distances from each other and known angle between them and send them through the projection function, either the distance between each point can remain the same or the angle created by all three points can remain the same, but not both.

Edit: I forgot to make my point. This in turn causes the exaggerated features of many maps. It’s also why there are so many different projections. Some projections preserve certain geometries better than others so people can choose which projection fits their needs.