1. What is the Haversine Formula?

The Haversine formula calculates the great-circle distance between two points on a sphere given their longitudes and latitudes. It's particularly important for navigation and geographic applications.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Haversine formula:

Where:

• \( d \) — Distance between points (km)
• \( R \) — Earth's radius (6371 km)
• \( lat1, lat2 \) — Latitude of points 1 and 2 (in radians)
• \( lon1, lon2 \) — Longitude of points 1 and 2 (in radians)

Explanation: The formula accounts for the curvature of the Earth by using trigonometric functions to calculate the arc length between two points.

3. Importance of Geographic Distance Calculation

Details: Accurate distance calculation between geographic coordinates is essential for navigation systems, mapping applications, logistics planning, and geographic research.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter latitude and longitude in decimal degrees (positive for North/East, negative for South/West). Valid ranges are -90 to 90 for latitude and -180 to 180 for longitude.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: How accurate is the Haversine formula?
A: It's very accurate for most practical purposes, typically within 0.3% of the actual distance, assuming a spherical Earth.

Q2: What's the difference between Haversine and Vincenty formulas?
A: Vincenty's formulae are more complex but account for Earth's ellipsoidal shape, providing slightly better accuracy (within 0.5mm).

Q3: Can I use this for very short distances?
A: Yes, though for distances less than 1km, Euclidean distance in a local tangent plane might be simpler.

Q4: Why does the formula use radians?
A: Trigonometric functions in most programming languages expect angles in radians, though our calculator handles the conversion.

Q5: What's the maximum distance this can calculate?
A: Theoretically, up to half the Earth's circumference (about 20,037 km), but practical limits depend on your application.