Antipodes

[matticus]

Following discussion over in https://www.cyclechat.net/posts/7621671/ on GWR round-the-world-bike-rides ..

Does anyone have another real-world situation where knowing two antipodal points has ANY practical use - no matter how trivial?!?

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Does anyone have another real-world situation where knowing two antipodal points has ANY practical use - no matter how trivial?!?

Maybe I misunderstood but North Pole and South Pole (both rotation axis and magnetic) seem fairly relevant to our everyday lives.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Practical use, maybe not, be still fascinating to know.

An amazing mathematical fact, called the Borsuk-Ulam Theorem, says that at any moment in time there is always a pair of locations directly opposite each other with exactly the same temperature and exactly the same pressure!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Since antipodal points are on the opposite side of the planet, they can be 12 hours apart in time

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The antipodal point represents the farthest location from your current position on Earth’s surface. The shortest path between two antipodal points is a great-circle route, which is the longest possible distance on a sphere.

Pilots and sailors sometimes use antipodal concepts to plan routes, especially for long-distance flights or voyages.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Weather systems can sometimes mirror each other antipodally. For instance, a hurricane in the Atlantic might have a corresponding low-pressure system in the South Pacific.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Satellites often orbit in such a way that they cover antipodal regions to ensure global coverage (e.g., GPS satellites).

 

[matticus]

Maybe I misunderstood

Yes you did! But that's hardly surprising, as you'd need to read the other thread, specifically the bit about needing to plan a route that goes through antipodal points. (Or you could know that from prior knowledge of GWR ride planning.)

 

[ClichéGuevara]

The antipodal point represents the farthest location from your current position on Earth’s surface. The shortest path between two antipodal points is a great-circle route, which is the longest possible distance on a sphere.

Pilots and sailors sometimes use antipodal concepts to plan routes, especially for long-distance flights or voyages.

Rhumb lines are simpler to follow.

 

[matticus]

Practical use, maybe not, be still fascinating to know. [Borsuk-Ulam Theorem]

That has slightly blown my mind!