Squaring the circle the circular arc b around O with radius , it results S'. Bisect the line segment in D and draw the semicircle b over D. Draw a straight line from O through C up to the semicircle b, it cuts b in E. The line segment is the mean proportional between and , also called geometric mean. Extend the line segment beyond O and transfer twice more, it results F and A, and thus the length of the line segment with the above described approximation value of formula_3, the half circumference of the circle. Bisect the line segment in G
Great-circle distance Great-circle distance The great-circle distance or orthodromic distance is the shortest distance between two points on the surface of a sphere, measured along the surface of the sphere (as opposed to a straight line through the sphere's interior). The distance between two points in Euclidean space is the length of a straight line between them, but on the sphere there are no straight lines. In spaces with curvature, straight lines are replaced by geodesics. Geodesics on the sphere are circles on the sphere whose centers coincide with the center of the sphere, and are called "great circles". The determination of