Python Math: Distance between two points using latitude and longitude

Last update on April 02 2025 12:30:14 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

27. Geodesic Distance Calculator

Write a Python program to calculate distance between two points using latitude and longitude.

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

from math import radians, sin, cos, acos

print("Input coordinates of two points:")
slat = radians(float(input("Starting latitude: ")))
slon = radians(float(input("Ending longitude: ")))
elat = radians(float(input("Starting latitude: ")))
elon = radians(float(input("Ending longitude: ")))

dist = 6371.01 * acos(sin(slat)*sin(elat) + cos(slat)*cos(elat)*cos(slon - elon))
print("The distance is %.2fkm." % dist)

Sample Output:

Input coordinates of two points:                                                                              
Starting latitude: 23.5                                                                                       
Ending longitude: 67.5                                                                                        
Starting latitude: 25.5                                                                                       
Ending longitude: 69.5                                                                                        
The distance is 300.67km.  

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a Python program to calculate the great-circle distance between two points given their latitudes and longitudes using the haversine formula.
• Write a Python function that accepts coordinates for two points and returns the distance in kilometers, formatted to two decimal places.
• Write a Python script to prompt the user for two sets of coordinates and then compute and print the distance between them using geodesic calculations.
• Write a Python program to compare the distances calculated by two different geodesic formulas (e.g., haversine and Vincenty's) for the same coordinate pair.

Python Code Editor:

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