What does map distortion mean?

Maps will have distortions of one or more of these properties: Distance, Direction, Area, Shape, or Scale. Some projections, known as compromise projections, have distortions but map makers try to make them as small as possible so that the map projection looks like what we are used to seeing on the globe.Click to see full answer. Correspondingly, what are the 4 types of map distortion?There are four basic characteristics of a map that are distorted to some degree, depending on the map projection used. These characteristics include distance, direction, shape, and area.Subsequently, question is, what is area distortion? On the other hand, one kind of projection that doesn’t distort area is the Cylindrical Equal Area. Projections which preserve areas are called equivalent or equal-area projections. A map projection either preserves areas everywhere, or distorts it everywhere. This is an all-or-nothing property. Then, how does distortion affect flat maps? Distortions are unavoidable when making flat maps of the earth. Distortion is not constant across the map, as distortion may take different forms in different parts of the map. Additionally, distance distortion is often present on equal area map projection, and, shape is often skewed.What is the cause of distortion?Distortion in a weld results from the expansion and contraction of the weld metal and adjacent base metal during the heating and cooling cycle of the welding process. Doing all welding on one side of a part will cause much more distortion than if the welds are alternated from one side to the other.