This program displays geodesics (shortest paths) on the surface of a cylinder, rendered as curves traced along the surface in 3D. Geodesics on a cylinder are helices: when the cylinder is cut and unrolled flat, they become straight lines. The visualization allows exploration of how different initial directions produce helices of varying pitch, illustrating the intrinsic geometry of the cylinder as a flat (zero curvature) surface.
Controls: Click and drag to orbit, scroll to zoom.
