The Distance Calculator finds the distance between two points on a 2D plane, in 3D space, or on the Earth's surface from latitude and longitude.
Distance = 5
| Distance | 5 |
| Δx | 3 |
| Δy | 4 |
| Slope | 1.333333 |
Calculation steps:
| d = √((x₂ − x₁)² + (y₂ − y₁)²) | √(3² + 4²) = √25 |
| Distance | 1.732051 |
Distance: 199.831 km (124.169 miles)
| Kilometers | 199.831 |
| Miles | 124.169 |
| Nautical miles | 107.9 |
On a flat plane the distance comes from the Pythagorean theorem: d = √((x₂ − x₁)² + (y₂ − y₁)²). In three dimensions add the z term. Example (defaults): (1, 1) to (4, 5) is √(9 + 16) = 5.
Because the Earth is round, the shortest path between two places is a great-circle arc. The haversine formula computes it from latitudes and longitudes using a mean Earth radius of 6,371 km. The default points, the White House and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, are about 199 km (124 miles) apart.
The Earth is slightly flattened at the poles, so ellipsoid methods (Vincenty) are accurate to millimetres, while the haversine sphere is within about 0.5%. Road distances are longer than straight-line distances.
What is a nautical mile? 1,852 m, one minute of latitude.
How do I enter south or west? Use negative numbers.
What is Manhattan distance? |Δx| + |Δy|, the distance along a grid.