In: Advanced Math
The positioning of the two cities can be simplified in drawing as shown below :
A and B show the position of cities A and B respectively with respect to equator.
Now, the distance between the cities A and B is the length of arc AB. This can be computed as
AB = EA - EB
The formula for length of an arc is given as
length of arc = radius x angle of arc in radians
The formula for converting angle to radians is given as :
Converting latitude of city A into radians,
Thus, the length of arc EA = 3960 * 0.72053 = 2853.299 miles
Converting latitude of city B into radians,
Thus, the length of arc EA = 3960 * 0.57218 = 2265.8213 miles
Now, the length of arc AB = 2853.299 - 2265.8213 = 587.477 miles
Thus the distance between the cities A and B is 587.477 miles