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
Expansion of the universe long-haul airline flights where the distance between two points is measured based upon a great circle, rather than the straight line one might plot on a two-dimensional map of the Earth's surface. In general, such shortest-distance paths are called "geodesics". In Euclidean geometry, the geodesic is a straight line, while in non-Euclidean geometry such as on the Earth's surface, this is not the case. Indeed, even the shortest-distance great circle path is always longer than the Euclidean straight line path which passes through the interior of the Earth. The difference between the straight line path and the shortest-distance great circle