[edby]

The table below shows the results of the following experiment.
1. Choose a pair of cities, and take the lat/long of a point in each. (cols 1-6)
2. Use the haversine formula to compute the distance between those points. This implicitly uses the assumption that the world is approximately spherical. (Col 7)
3. Then enter the first lat long pair into the window of Google maps. Google understands that these are lat long coordinates, and marks a red point on the map. Right click on that point, and select ‘measure distances’. Enter the second pair, which takes you to the next place, then left click on the red marker. A window opens giving you the distance in km or miles. (Col 8 )

The results clearly indicate that Google maps is using round earth assumptions. So the question is whether Google maps is accurate or not. If it is, then the earth is approximately a sphere. If not, then not.

See my other experiment which was an attempt to correlate Google/Haversine with flight times.

City 1,   City 2,   Lat 1,   Long 1,   Lat 2,   Long 2,   Haversine,   Google
Sydney,   Melbourne,   -33.87,   151.21,   -37.81,   144.96,   713.43,   713.39
Frankfurt,   Warsaw,   50.11,   8.68,   52.23,   21.01,   890.12,   890.15
New Delhi,   Singapore,   28.61,   77.21,   1.35,   103.82,   4142.49,   4142.33
Mumbai,   Cairo,   19.08,   72.88,   30.04,   31.24,   4358.21,   4357.79
Perth,   Auckland,   -31.95,   115.86,   -36.85,   174.76,   5346.63,   5346.38
London,   Perth,   51.51,   -0.13,   -31.95,   115.86,   14478.80,   14478.92

[edby]

There are two possibilities ...

[Tom Bishop]

The distances in the video are based on the Latitude/Longitude coordinate system, which is a spherical coordinate system. Of course you will get a sphere.

[edby]

The distances in the video are based on the Latitude/Longitude coordinate system, which is a spherical coordinate system. Of course you will get a sphere.

So the question is, whether Google maps accurate. I agree that the distances are entirely generated by the assumption that the earth is approximately spherical. Read the OP. But that is not the question. I wrote:

The results clearly indicate that Google maps is using round earth assumptions. So the question is whether Google maps is accurate or not. If it is, then the earth is approximately a sphere. If not, then not.

Likewise, at the end of the video, he says

Either all distances are wrong .. or the earth is not flat.

[AATW]

The distances in the video are based on the Latitude/Longitude coordinate system, which is a spherical coordinate system. Of course you will get a sphere.

So the question is whether those distances are correct. If they are then that tells you the model of a sphere used to calculate them is correct.

[BillO]

The distances in the video are based on the Latitude/Longitude coordinate system, which is a spherical coordinate system. Of course you will get a sphere.

Brilliant.

Then provide us with a coordinate system that will lead us to conclude it's a flat earth, and that still does not mangle the distances between known places on that flat earth, please.

[TomInAustin]

The distances in the video are based on the Latitude/Longitude coordinate system, which is a spherical coordinate system. Of course you will get a sphere.

It's amazing how that works. Right?

[Westprog]

The distances in the video are based on the Latitude/Longitude coordinate system, which is a spherical coordinate system. Of course you will get a sphere.

It's amazing how that works. Right?

So close, almost there.