Latitude Longitude Distance Calculator Feet

Distance Calculation Formula:

\[ \text{distance\_ft} = \arccos(\sin(\text{lat1}) \times \sin(\text{lat2}) + \cos(\text{lat1}) \times \cos(\text{lat2}) \times \cos(\text{lon2}-\text{lon1})) \times 6371000 \times 3.28084 \]

Latitude 1 (radians):

rad

Longitude 1 (radians):

rad

Latitude 2 (radians):

rad

Longitude 2 (radians):

rad

Distance:

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1. What is the Latitude Longitude Distance Calculator?

The Latitude Longitude Distance Calculator computes the distance between two points on the Earth's surface given their latitude and longitude coordinates in radians, with the result in feet.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the haversine formula:

\[ \text{distance\_ft} = \arccos(\sin(\text{lat1}) \times \sin(\text{lat2}) + \cos(\text{lat1}) \times \cos(\text{lat2}) \times \cos(\text{lon2}-\text{lon1})) \times 6371000 \times 3.28084 \]

Where:

\( lat1, lat2 \) — Latitude coordinates in radians
\( lon1, lon2 \) — Longitude coordinates in radians
6371000 — Earth's radius in meters
3.28084 — Conversion factor from meters to feet

Explanation: The formula calculates the great-circle distance between two points on a sphere using their latitudes and longitudes.

3. Importance of Distance Calculation

Details: Accurate distance calculation between geographic coordinates is essential for navigation, mapping, surveying, and various geospatial applications.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter latitude and longitude coordinates in radians for both points. The calculator will output the distance in feet between the two points.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why are the inputs in radians rather than degrees?
A: The trigonometric functions in the formula require inputs in radians. You can convert degrees to radians by multiplying by π/180.

Q2: How accurate is this calculation?
A: The calculation assumes a perfect sphere with radius 6371000 meters, which provides good accuracy for most practical purposes.

Q3: What is the maximum distance this calculator can handle?
A: The formula works for any two points on Earth, including antipodal points (exactly opposite each other).

Q4: Can I use this for very short distances?
A: Yes, but for distances less than about 1km, a simpler planar approximation might be sufficient.

Q5: Why is the result in feet?
A: The formula includes a conversion from meters to feet (×3.28084) to provide results in feet. Remove this factor if you want meters.