Question 1

What is the Haversine formula?

Accepted Answer

The Haversine formula calculates the great-circle distance between two points on a sphere given their latitude and longitude. It uses the law of haversines and accounts for the curvature of the Earth, giving an accurate straight-line distance even for points far apart.

Question 2

Is the Haversine distance the driving distance?

Accepted Answer

No. The Haversine result is the straight-line (as-the-crow-flies) great-circle distance, which is the shortest path over the Earth's surface. Actual driving, walking or flight distances are longer because they follow roads, airspace and terrain.

Question 3

What radius of the Earth does this calculator use?

Accepted Answer

This calculator uses the mean Earth radius of 6,371 km (3,959 miles). Because the Earth is an oblate spheroid rather than a perfect sphere, results have a typical error under 0.5%, which is acceptable for most everyday and navigation purposes.

Question 4

How do I enter latitude and longitude?

Accepted Answer

Enter latitude as a decimal between -90 and 90 (positive for North, negative for South) and longitude between -180 and 180 (positive for East, negative for West). You can convert degrees/minutes/seconds to decimal first, or use one of the preset city buttons.

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