"great circle arc" meaning in English

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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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          "word": "great-circle arc"
        }
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        {
          "ref": "2011, David C. Kay, College Geometry: A Unified Development, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 569:",
          "text": "If the string is gradually pulled tight, it begins to assume the position of what appears to be a great circle arc PAQ.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, I. M. Gelfand, S. V. Fomin, Calculus of Variations, Courier Corporation, →ISBN:",
          "text": "For example, a great circle arc on a given sphere is the shortest curve joining its end points if the arc consists of less than half a circle, ...",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1985, Robin M. Green, Robin Michael Green, Spherical Astronomy, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 14:",
          "text": "The shortest distance between these two points is the great circle arc XY which is a part of the spherical triangle NXY.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of great-circle arc"
      ],
      "id": "en-great_circle_arc-en-noun-W2ToLudi",
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  "word": "great circle arc"
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    {
      "form": "great circle arcs",
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  "pos": "noun",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011, David C. Kay, College Geometry: A Unified Development, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 569:",
          "text": "If the string is gradually pulled tight, it begins to assume the position of what appears to be a great circle arc PAQ.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, I. M. Gelfand, S. V. Fomin, Calculus of Variations, Courier Corporation, →ISBN:",
          "text": "For example, a great circle arc on a given sphere is the shortest curve joining its end points if the arc consists of less than half a circle, ...",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1985, Robin M. Green, Robin Michael Green, Spherical Astronomy, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 14:",
          "text": "The shortest distance between these two points is the great circle arc XY which is a part of the spherical triangle NXY.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of great-circle arc"
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  "word": "great circle arc"
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