Assuming the earth to be a perfect sphere, the shortest distance is an arc of the great circle. The two places and the centre of the earth define a plane. The great circle is the circle formed by the intersection of that plane and the surface of the earth. The shortest route between the two places is the smaller of the two arcs along that circle.
Because on a globe, a great-circle route is the shortest route between two places.
It depends on the route that you take. There is nothing in the question to suggest that the distance of interest is the shortest distance. In real life, the quickest route is not necessarily the shortest since travelling on highways may be faster even if longer. In such cases the relevant distance may not be the shortest. Also, you might wish to take the "scenic" route. In any built-up area the shortest meaningful distance between two points will not be "as the crow flies": the taxicab metric (for example 3 blocks East and 4 blocks North), which was developed by Minkowsky, is more appropriate. On the surface of a sphere, such as the Earth, the shortest distance is an arc of the great circle. In most cases this is not the straight line on a map.
There is not a converse, as such, but there are other metrics that may be applicable in different circumstances. One such is the Manhattan distance (deeloped by Minkovsky) which uses the grid pattern of roads as a way to measue distances. On the non-planar surface, such as that of the earth, the shortest distance between two points will be along the "Great Circle" passing through the two points. In some situations people may be interested in the fastest route between two points even if it is not the shortest straight line distance.
-- 12 inches across the circle, along any route that passes through the center -- 6 inches along any radius -- 12 pi = 37.7 inches (rounded) around the circle's curvy line
A straight route is the path taken in a straight line while the shortest distance between two points on a circle is known as the great circle route. However, while travelling the great circle around the globe, the path ahead will look like the straight route.
There are 5,785 kilometers from New York to Madrid on a great circle route.
The distance from Taiwan to Nashville is approximately 7,500 miles (12,070 kilometers) when measured in a straight line. Travel distance might vary depending on the mode of transportation and the specific route taken.
-- The 'great circle' route is the shortest distance between any two places on Earth (or on any other sphere). -- A great circle is a circle on the surface whose center is at the center of the Earth. -- The phrase "around the globe" is really not too clear.
It is the shortest distance between two points on a sphere, where the sphere in question is the earth. Particularly long airline flights follow great circle routes.
The distance is the theoretical air distance (great circle distance). Flying between the two locations's airports can be longer or shorter, depending on airport location and actual route chosen. Source:http://www.timeanddate.com
The shortest driving distance is 275 miles.
The distance from North Bay to Terrace Bay in Ontario, Canada is approximately 750 kilometers.
The shortest route between 2 points on the surface of a planet is a great circle route, which is a path that follows the circumference of a circle formed by the intersection of the planet's surface and a plane passing through its center. This route represents the shortest distance between the two points.
Assuming the earth to be a perfect sphere, the shortest distance is an arc of the great circle. The two places and the centre of the earth define a plane. The great circle is the circle formed by the intersection of that plane and the surface of the earth. The shortest route between the two places is the smaller of the two arcs along that circle.
Distance is 12,912 Kilometers or 8023 Miles. The distance is the theoretical air distance (great circle distance). Flying between the two locations's airports can be longer or shorter, depending on airport location and actual route chosen.
If you mean by the words "direct route" the shortest distance between two places, distances between two places are shortest at the equator, because of the shape of the planet. If you mean which direction should be traveled to minimize distance, the route taken should be as straight a line as possible.