Learn why maps distort: a free projections course
Seven short lessons that explain why every map you've ever seen is quietly making a trade-off, and how to spot it. Built for kids, for teens who want the real vocabulary, and for teachers who want a ready-made lesson plan.
- Lesson 1 of 7
Why Every Flat Map Tells a Fib
Try this in your head: peel an orange in one piece, then try to press that peel flat on a table without tearing it or stretching it.
- Lesson 2 of 7
Meet Equal Earth, Our Default Map
Every map in this app starts on Equal Earth.
- Lesson 3 of 7
The Map Built for Sailors, Stuck on Your Phone
In 1569, a mapmaker named Gerardus Mercator invented a map to solve one problem: helping ship captains sail in a straight compass direction without constantly recalculating their course.
- Lesson 4 of 7
You Can't Keep Both Size and Shape
Picture stretching a photo of a circle sideways until it's an oval — the area inside might stay exactly the same, but it's definitely not a circle anymore.
- Lesson 5 of 7
How to Pick the Right Map for the Job
There's no single 'best' map — there's only the right map for what you're trying to do.
- Lesson 6 of 7
Tissot's Circles: Seeing the Warp
Here's a clever trick for seeing distortion instead of just being told about it: imagine drawing a tiny, perfect circle at every intersection on a globe's grid lines, all exactly the same size.
- Lesson 7 of 7
When 'Close' on the Map Isn't Close at All
Grab a ruler and try to measure between two dots on a globe — you can't, the ruler doesn't bend around a ball.