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Great-circle distance - Wikipedia

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The great-circle distance, orthodromic distance, or spherical distance is the distance between two points on a sphere, measured along the great-circle arc between them. This arc is the shortest path between the two points on the surface of the sphere. (By comparison, the shortest path passing through the sphere's interior is the chord between the points.) On a curved surface, the concept of straight lines is replaced by a more general concept of geodesics, curves which are locally straight with respect to the surface. Geodesics on the sphere are great circles, circles whose center coincides with the center of the sphere. Any two distinct points on a sphere that are not antipodal (diametrically opposite) both lie on a unique great circle, which the points separate into two arcs; the length of the shorter arc is the great-circle distance between the points. This arc length is proportional to the central angle between the points, which if measured in radians can be scaled up by the sphere

Great-circle distance - Wikipedia Jump to content From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Shortest distance between two points on the surface of a sphere This article is about shortest-distance on a sphere. For the shortest distance on an ellipsoid, see geodesics on an ellipsoid . A diagram illustrating great-circle distance (drawn in red) between two points on a sphere, P and Q. Two antipodal points , u and v are also shown. The great-circle distance , orthodromic distance , or spherical distance is the distance between two points on a sphere , measured along the great-circle arc between them.

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