Ah… I love airplanes… To be clear, the issue with this is that magnetic 0 is not the same as true 0. There’s a slight offset that can cause issues. So why not have like… True 0 and magnetic 0. T0 and m0?
Fun fact… there is an ICAO effort to “get rid” of magnetic headings for runway numbers. I listened to a presentation they did last year, and as much as I went into it thinking it wasn’t needed, I was a convert listening to them.
Btw, magnetic variation is pretty significant in some places. It’s 13 degrees where I am.
I suppose it makes sense but it feels wrong. I’m so used to having and using magnetic but that isn’t a reason to continue doing less efficient things.
The redundancy aspect is there as when systems would fail (GPS for true), the magnetic redundancy would still come into okay and still work enough to get by.
Because what happens when your referent changes? Which direction is Mars from Earth? We obviously need a single navigational system that works anywhere in the universe.
Easy! Assuming the earth is the center of the universe, coordinates are 360,360
± the current position of the Earth in the solar system
± the current position of the solar system in the Milky Way.
In the Local Cluster, in the Local Group, in the Virgo Supercluster, in the Local Mesh
We could use one, and assume we’re operating in the field of complex numbers:
1 N = North i N = West i2 N = South i3 N = East.
And we could use the complex modulus to indicate distance or speed… or we could map the Riemann sphere onto the surface of the earth and use a single complex number to indicate location.
Why stop at two, when you could stop at just one?
North
Negative North = south
Negative 90 North = west
90 North =east
Better idea! What if we use 0 for North and then divide the circle around by exactly 360 points? That way we don’t need NSEW, we have 0, 90, 180, 270!
Ah… I love airplanes… To be clear, the issue with this is that magnetic 0 is not the same as true 0. There’s a slight offset that can cause issues. So why not have like… True 0 and magnetic 0. T0 and m0?
Fun fact… there is an ICAO effort to “get rid” of magnetic headings for runway numbers. I listened to a presentation they did last year, and as much as I went into it thinking it wasn’t needed, I was a convert listening to them.
Btw, magnetic variation is pretty significant in some places. It’s 13 degrees where I am.
What’s the new one? I must have missed the presentation. Probably because I wasn’t invited.
I don’t remember where I watched the presentation. I think it might have been one of Brian Schiff’s videos, but I don’t remember. Here’s a link to it I found online. https://www2023.icao.int/safety/OPS/OPS-Section/Pages/Truenorth.aspx
I suppose it makes sense but it feels wrong. I’m so used to having and using magnetic but that isn’t a reason to continue doing less efficient things.
The redundancy aspect is there as when systems would fail (GPS for true), the magnetic redundancy would still come into okay and still work enough to get by.
Why not?
Because what happens when your referent changes? Which direction is Mars from Earth? We obviously need a single navigational system that works anywhere in the universe.
Easy! Assuming the earth is the center of the universe, coordinates are 360,360
± the current position of the Earth in the solar system ± the current position of the solar system in the Milky Way. In the Local Cluster, in the Local Group, in the Virgo Supercluster, in the Local Mesh
In order to return, we just go that way:
There is no center of the universe.
Huh, guess you are right
Mars would be that way I assume
Plus or minus?
We could use one, and assume we’re operating in the field of complex numbers:
1 N = North
i N = West
i2 N = South
i3 N = East.
And we could use the complex modulus to indicate distance or speed… or we could map the Riemann sphere onto the surface of the earth and use a single complex number to indicate location.
Now you’re talking!
Directions from maps: turn pi at the nearest i intersection
Why stop at one when you could stop at just zero and not use a compass?
This reply was brought to you by The Lost MC.
In emergencies when you need to use a compass you can save time by using these maximally efficient cardinal names:
Yes! Now we are getting somewhere.