Spherical distance - spherical distance

…There is only one great circle that passes through two points A and B on a sphere, unless A and B are antipodes, but there are an infinite number of great circles if A and B are antipodes. The curve on a sphere that connects two points A and B on a sphere has the shortest length, the (minor) arc of the great circle that passes through A and B, and this length is called the spherical distance between A and B. The area of ​​a sphere with radius r is 4π r ² , and the volume of the sphere is 4/3π r ^3. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "spherical distance" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…球面の2点A,Bを通る大円は，A,Bが対心点でなければただ一つ定まり，A,Bが対心点ならば無数にある。球面の2点A,Bを結ぶ球面上の曲線のうち最小の長さをもつものはA,Bを通る大円の(劣)弧で，この長さをAとBの球面距離という。半径がrの球面の面積は4πr²で，その球の体積は4/3πr³である。…

※「球面距離」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報