but what they're trying to say is h=8d^2

What do you mean by "close but not exact"?

compare the two equations, do they give exactly the same result as a function of d?

ur saying their is more curve sometimes in some places if u square it

no i'm saying the equation that flerfers use, is a parabola, not a circle

thus it can't be an exact measure of how much a circle curves away from a tangent line

i dont think the formula should be squared at all

can you write teh formula that you think is accurate?

It works just fine for drop

their is an equal amount of curve in a circle for each unit

equal unit

no there isn't, not away from a tangent line

If it isn't squared, it is a sloped line

as you go further away, the circle gets further away from its tangent linle

go ahead and plot the two eqautions as a function of d, and use R=6371 km

so if u broke a 24k mile circle into 1 mile parts their is an equal amount of curve in each mile correct?

if you redefine your starting point each mile, yes

what if u had a person at each mile and didnt have to redifine ur point

but if you measure from teh same starting point, no, h would be larger for subsequent miles

each would measure teh same amount of curvature over one mile, b/c they're effectively starting at a new point, each mile, drawing a new tangent line

so frolic u are saying 8 iches per mile squared is correct ?

those words don't make sense, maybe if you wrote an equation i could evaluate it. It sounds like you're saying h=8/d^2

if so, then no, that's incorrect

this is why its important to pay attention in math class,

lol

Math has value, even in this simple example, of trying to share an idea

idk ill have to investigate more into this

like i said im not good with math so

here i have something favorited that shows the equation

im looking at circle on a paper and every inch of the circle their is an equal amount of curvature

http://earthcurvature.com/

@jeremy draw a line tangent to the top of the circle, horizontally

then measure teh vertical distance from the line to the circle, and different locations along the top-right quadrant of the circle

see the pattern if follows?

i dont need to draw tangent lines i can easily see their is an equal amount of curve in every inch of this circle

that is h=R[1-cos(d/R)]

dunno what you mean by 'equal amount of curvature'

we're trying to see how much curve there is as a function of distance

every inch i go their is an equal amount of curvature

which way are you giong an inch, along the circle?

an 8 cut pizza cur correctly all the crusts are the same length and have an equal amount of curvature