- Distance
- 5
How it works
Longitude wraps around the date line
Locations at 179° east and 179° west are only 2° apart in longitude across the date line. Enter hemisphere signs correctly; treating them as 358° apart gives the wrong intuition about their shortest surface separation.
Choosing planar or geographic distance
Coordinate distance treats points in the selected mathematical space, while great-circle distance models locations on a curved Earth. Use latitude and longitude fields only with the geographic mode, and check signs and angle units. A geographic straight-line estimate is different from a road route. For travel mileage along roads, use the separate driving-route calculator and review its provider result.
Coordinate distance: formula and assumptions
d = √[(x₂−x₁)² + (y₂−y₁)² + (z₂−z₁)²].
Coordinates must use the same linear unit. This is straight-line distance, not road distance.
Great-circle distance: formula and assumptions
h=sin²(Δφ/2)+cosφ₁ cosφ₂ sin²(Δλ/2); distance=2R atan2(√h,√(1−h)).
A spherical great-circle estimate is not a road route or a survey-grade ellipsoidal distance.
Latitude & longitude in DMS: formula and assumptions
Decimal angle=hemisphere sign×(degrees+minutes/60+seconds/3600), then apply the spherical great-circle formula.
Use nonnegative degree magnitudes with N/S for latitude and E/W for longitude. This is a spherical straight-line surface distance, not a road route.
Worked example
Using the Coordinate distance example:
- x₁
- 0
- y₁
- 0
- z₁ (0 for 2D)
- 0
- x₂
- 3
- y₂
- 4
- z₂ (0 for 2D)
- 0
d = √[(x₂−x₁)² + (y₂−y₁)² + (z₂−z₁)²].
Example result
Distance: 5
These are illustrative inputs. Change the values to explore a different scenario.
Formula references
References explain the underlying methods; they do not imply endorsement or individual professional review of Finflo.
Common questions
Is great-circle distance the same as driving distance?
No. It estimates the shortest surface arc on a spherical Earth, without roads, terrain or route restrictions.
How do I enter southern or western DMS coordinates?
Use a nonnegative degree magnitude and select S or W. The hemisphere supplies the sign.
Prepared by Finflo. See our methodology and editorial policy.