The Two Conformal Projections I picked are the Mercator and the Stereographic. The Mercator was very useful in nautical travel because it accurately represented rhumb lines. But the scale increases as you leave the equator. The stereographic projection is a type of azimuthal projection that preserves angles (as all conformal projections do).
Sinusoidal projection maintains equal area despite its conformal distortion (that's why the projection is also known as the Mercator equal area projection). The Mollweide is a pseudocylindrical projection with the equator and meridian meeting in right angles.
The Plate Carree is a relatively simple and common projection for it forms a rectangular grid with equal spacing. Though not very useful for navigation, it has been widely adopted for its simplicity and easy-to-use characteristics. The Azimuthal Equidistant is useful in that all measurements from the center of the map are accurate, but only from the center. Often the center are the poles or the intersection of the equator and prime meridian.
Depicting a 3 dimensional ellipsoid on a flat surface will always suffer from some distortions or obstacles. With the emergence of GPS and satellite imaging many of these maps have grown obsolete. Because each projection must sacrifice some aspects of its depiction to accurately represent another, there cannot be one universally useful map. They are at the mercy of the user's needs.
Map projections have been a necessity ever since man decided to leave his cave. They have provided us with guidance in the most trying of times, and have lead us to discoveries of new worlds. Much of this planet has been stepped on (not all, but most) and maps have greatly evolved since the dawn of time. Though maps continue to be used everyday, they are slowly losing their market and usefulness with the everyday user.
What is replacing them? Smartphones. Ability to conjure a map on our handheld device has eliminated the need to carry a map with us. Paths are no longer found by intuition but by computer programs.
The majority of the population has been exposed to maps, but whether they have been exposed to all types of maps is not a question or debate. There is no need for the majority of the population to identify the difference between projections, and they cant be expected to understand the differences and advantages of each.
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