What is the furthest distance between two points on the surface of the earth?

Question

'half the circumference of the earth' would be the simplest answer, but what about elevation changes? what if sea floor is included...perhaps the question could be 'what mountain peak is furthest from the deepest point in the ocean and has the most elevation changes in between them? maybe the answer is the line between a deep point in the pacific ocean and a deep point in the atlantic ocean, which passes over the himalayas and the alps. maybe its is between two mountain peaks, where the line passes over deep ocean masses.

Answer 1

2 points diametrically opposite are called antipodes. The distance between is half of Earth's circumference

7900pi/2= 12410 miles =!9850 km.

Another way of looking at it

180degrees on equator like Gt. circle

180 X 60 naut.miles = 10800 naut.miles = 12420 miles.

Depths (7 mile max) or heights (6 miles max) have negligible influence on the computation. How does 6 or 7 miles (at maximum) compare with 12,000 miles?

PS: To find antipodal spot of a given spot.

Latitude/longitude of first spot is given: Lat./Long.

For the antipode,

i) reverse the latitude(if it is N, make it S & vice versa)

ii) new longitude = (180-longW) in East. If it E to start interchange E & W in this formula.

Answer 2

Your heart.

Answer 3

Elevation changes would not account for that much when measuring distances of ten thousand miles or more.  For instance, a line crossing the floor of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean would only add 13.6 miles to the overall distance.  Crossing Mt. Everest would add just over 11 miles plus the incline and decline distance.

The farthest distance between two places are called antipodes.  Quito, Ecuador's antpode is Doesoenhoetantea, Indonesia.  Quito is 1.8 miles high in the Andes Mts. and the surface distance would also include the Mid-Atlantic Ridge of the Atlantic Ocean, the highlands around Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Java Trench and interior mountains of Indonesia.  How much distance would counting elevation add?  Quito to Indonesia is 12,200 miles.  Adding 5% for elevation would increase the distance about 600 miles.

It would be interesting to know the "floor" or surface distance between two points.  However, it would take a mathematician or dragging a cable across the elevations to provide an answer.