Distance Calculator
Calculate distances between points in various coordinate systems
Understanding Distance Calculations
2D Distance (Euclidean Distance)
The distance between two points in a 2D plane is calculated using the Pythagorean theorem:
d = √[(x₂ - x₁)² + (y₂ - y₁)²]
3D Distance
For three-dimensional space, we extend the Pythagorean theorem to include the z-coordinate:
d = √[(x₂ - x₁)² + (y₂ - y₁)² + (z₂ - z₁)²]
Geographic Distance (Haversine Formula)
For calculating distances between geographic coordinates, we use the Haversine formula which accounts for Earth's spherical shape:
d = 2R × arcsin(√[sin²((φ₂ - φ₁)/2) + cos(φ₁)cos(φ₂)sin²((λ₂ - λ₁)/2)])
where R is Earth's radius (≈ 6,371 km), φ is latitude, and λ is longitude in radians.