Geodesics

Geodesics are the shortest possible paths between two points in a curved space or on a curved surface. Imagine drawing a straight line on a flat sheet of paper—this is the shortest route between two points. On a sphere, like Earth, the equivalent is a great circle route, such as an airline flight path that follows the Earth's curvature. In mathematics and physics, geodesics generalize this concept to any curved space, representing the natural, most efficient path objects or light would follow without external forces, effectively describing how things move within curved geometries.