science

Méridienne verte

Méridienne verte is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Méridienne verte rather than just read about it. In short: The Méridienne verte (Green Meridian) is a project devised by the architect Paul Chemetov for the 2000 celebration in France. It involved marking on the ground the Paris Meridian crossing France from North to South (from Dunkerque in Nord-Pas-de-Calais to Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste in Pyrénées-Orientales) by planting trees along the whole line.

Key takeaways

Méridienne verte belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Méridienne verte to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Méridienne verte from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Méridienne verte (Green Meridian) is a project devised by the architect Paul Chemetov for the 2000 celebration in France. It involved marking on the ground the Paris Meridian crossing France from North to South (from Dunkerque in Nord-Pas-de-Calais to Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste in Pyrénées-Orientales) by planting trees along the whole line. On 14 July (Bastille Day) 2000, a picnic was organised along the length of the Méridienne verte. For the occasion, the imaginary line was marked in the sky above Paris by two lasers, located on the Observatory, whose centre defines the longitude of the meridian, and the nearby Senate, also on the line. With a diameter of 4 m and a reach of 1.3 km, their coloured beams lit up the 6th and 14th arrondissements of Paris for three consecutive nights, from 13 to 15 July. At the intersection of the Meridian and the 45th parallel, in the commune of Ayrens (Cantal), trees have been planted in two perpendicular lines to mark the crossing.

Communes crossed From North to South, the Méridienne verte crosses 8 régions, 20 départements and 337 communes.

In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais région : In the Nord département : Dunkerque, Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, Armbouts-Cappel, Spycker, Pitgam, Drincham, Eringhem, Bollezeele, Rubrouck, Broxeele, Buysscheure, Noordpeene In the Pas-de-Calais département : Clairmarais, Arques, Campagne-lès-Wardrecques, Wardrecques, Racquinghem, Quiestède, Roquetoire, Mametz, Aire-sur-la-Lys, Witternesse, Blessy, Liettres, Estrée-Blanche, Ligny-lès-Aire, Westrehem, Fontaine-lès-Hermans, Nédonchel, Fiefs, Sains-lès-Pernes, Hestrus, Conteville-en-Ternois, Hernicourt, Troisvaux, Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, Saint-Michel-sur-Ternoise, Herlin-le-Sec, Hautecloque, Buneville, Sibiville, Bouret-sur-Canche, Rebreuve-sur-Canche In the Picardie région : In the Somme département : Bouquemaison, Doullens, Beauval, Beauquesne, La Vicogne, Talmas, Villers-Bocage, Coisy, Cardonnette, Allonville, Rivery, Amiens, Camon, Cagny, Saint-Fuscien, Boves, Sains-en-Amiénois, Cottenchy, Estrées-sur-Noye, Jumel, Ailly-sur-Noye, Chaussoy-Epagny, La Faloise, Folleville In the Oise département : Paillart, Le Plessier-sur-Bulles, Rouvroy-les-Merles, Breteuil, Beauvoir, Bonvillers, Saint-André-Farivillers, Campremy, Wavignies, Thieux, Bucamps, Le Quesnel-Aubry, Nourard-le-Franc, Le Mesnil-sur-Bulles, Bulles, Litz, La Neuville-en-Hez, Thury-sous-Clermont, Angy, Bury, Balagny-sur-Thérain, Cires-lès-Mello, Blaincourt-lès-Précy, Crouy-en-Thelle, Précy-sur-Oise, Boran-sur-Oise

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Méridienne verte

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Méridienne verte claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Méridienne verte before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Méridienne verte ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Méridienne verte

In research: Méridienne verte appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Méridienne verte in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Méridienne verte is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000 establishments in France, Meridians (geography), Monuments and memorials, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Méridienne verte outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Méridienne verte in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Méridienne verte means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Méridienne verte out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Méridienne verte in simple terms?

Why does Méridienne verte matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Méridienne verte?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Méridienne verte.