https://www.nilpointer.blog/tags/math/Recent content in Math on A Blog for the UninitializedHugoen-us<a href="https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Licensed under Apache 2.0</a>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 21:01:44 -0800https://www.nilpointer.blog/posts/2026/03/the-haversine-formula/Sun, 01 Mar 2026 21:01:44 -0800https://www.nilpointer.blog/posts/2026/03/the-haversine-formula/<p>While doing some reading tonight, I came across a question.</p> <p><strong>How do you calculate the distances between two GPS coordinates?</strong></p> <p>Turns out it&rsquo;s by using a function called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haversine_formula" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" >Haversine formula</a>. And let me tell you, it looks kind of crazy at first.</p> <p>I <a href="https://www.bicyclewatercooler" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" >ride bikes a lot</a> and use a GPS computer to track my rides - I&rsquo;ve always wondered how a device, likely emitting data points every second or so - kept track of this information. And then additionally, how services like <a href="https://www.strava.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" >Strava</a> or Garmin actually overlay that information on to a map to show you where you&rsquo;ve gone, how fast, at what elevation, etc.</p>