Find distance between two points on Earth

In summary, finding the distance between two points on Earth involves using the Haversine formula, which takes into account the curvature of the Earth. This formula calculates the great-circle distance between two points, taking into account the latitude and longitude coordinates of both points. The result is an accurate measurement of the distance between the two points, taking into account the Earth's curvature. This information can be useful for navigation, surveying, and various other applications.
  • #1
Mk
2,043
4
How could you find the distance between two points, such as
N12° 34.567 W12° 34.567
and
N12° 34.568 W12° 34.567?
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
  • #2
  • #3
Wow, how interesting, i didn't see this thread when i posted mine.

Anyway, i guess my treatment of the subject is quite accessible.

Daniel.
 
  • #5
0.0011506641413132668 miles
or 6.076 feet
 
Last edited:
  • #6
Mk said:
How could you find the distance between two points, such as
N12° 34.567 W12° 34.567
and
N12° 34.568 W12° 34.567?
Be careful though, becasue you have a mixed lat long.. you have to convert the decimal of minutes to minutes and seconds. 34.567 minutes = 34 Minutes 34.02 seconds(.567 * 60)..
 
  • #7
Guys, I wanted to know how I could get the answer, not for you to tell me or give me an app to do do it for me.
 
  • #9
"Unfortunately, the flattening of the Earth cannot be taken into account in this simple derivation, since the problem is considerably more complicated for a spheroid or ellipsoid (each of which has a radius which is a function of latitude). This leads to extremely complicated expressions for oblate spheroid geodesics and geodesics on other ellipsoids."
So you won't get the most accurate solutions; but that's no problem if dealing with relatively short distances.
 
1.

What is the formula for finding the distance between two points on Earth?

The formula for finding the distance between two points on Earth is the Haversine formula, which uses the latitude and longitude coordinates of the two points to calculate their distance.

2.

What units are typically used to measure the distance between two points on Earth?

The distance between two points on Earth is typically measured in kilometers (km) or miles (mi).

3.

Can the curvature of the Earth affect the distance between two points?

Yes, the curvature of the Earth can affect the distance between two points. When calculating the distance between two points on Earth, it is important to take into account the Earth's curvature, which can be done using the Haversine formula or other methods.

4.

How accurate are distance calculations between two points on Earth?

The accuracy of distance calculations between two points on Earth depends on the method used and the precision of the input coordinates. With the Haversine formula, the calculated distance is usually accurate within a few meters.

5.

Can I use a straight line to measure the distance between two points on Earth?

No, it is not accurate to use a straight line to measure the distance between two points on Earth. This is because the Earth is not a perfect sphere and has varying elevations and obstacles that would affect the distance between the two points. It is best to use a method that takes into account the Earth's curvature, such as the Haversine formula, for more accurate results.

Similar threads

Replies
2
Views
748
  • General Math
Replies
1
Views
793
Replies
8
Views
1K
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
13
Views
1K
Replies
2
Views
262
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
4
Views
584
  • General Math
Replies
3
Views
859
Back
Top