×
Carregamento em andamento

Why all world maps are wrong

1 membro

Making accurate world maps is mathematically impossible.
Follow Johnny on Instagram www.instagram.com/johnny.harris/

Help us make more ambitious videos by joining the Vox Video Lab: http://bit.ly/video-lab

Maps are flat representations of our spherical planet. Johnny Harris cut open a plastic globe to understand just what it takes to turn a sphere into something flat.

His struggle to make a flat map out of the plastic globe is indicative of a challenge mapmakers have faced for centuries: It is mathematically impossible to translate the surface of a sphere onto a plane without some form of distortion.

To solve this problem, mathematicians and cartographers have developed a huge library of representations of the globe, each distorting a certain attribute and preserving others.

For instance, the Mercator projection preserves the shape of countries while distorting the size, especially near the north and south pole.

For a more accurate view of land area look at the Gall-Peters projection, which preserves area while distorting shape.

In the end, there's not "right" map projection. Each comes with trade-offs, and cartographers make projection decisions based on the particular tasks at hand. But if you are interested in seeing an accurate depiction of the planet, it's best to stick with a globe.

Interact with projections: http://metrocosm.com/compare-map-projections.html
Mercator tool: http://thetruesize.com/
Mike Bostock Map Transitions: http://bl.ocks.org/mbostock/3711652
Mercator Puzzle: http://hive.sewanee.edu/ldale/maps/10/06-LOCAL.html

Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com

Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H
Or on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o

Próximo episódio
S01E454 - The fight over the Dakota Access Pipeline, explained
Assista ao episódio

Episódios (1595)

Temporada 1

Séries similares (10)

Explained
Explained
Les évadés du bureau
Les évadés du bureau
Vsauce
Vsauce
Psych2Go
Psych2Go
100 amis
100 amis
Darren fait une dépression, la websérie londonienne
Darren fait une dépression, la websérie…
Sans gêne
Sans gêne
Ça rime à rien
Ça rime à rien
Deux Italiens à Paris
Deux Italiens à Paris
Sexe opposé
Sexe opposé