Bearing Calculator
Compute the compass bearing between two points given their coordinates.
About Bearing Calculator
A bearing is the angle measured clockwise from north (the positive Y-axis) to the direction of travel. It ranges from 0° to 360°. This calculator uses atan2(Δx, Δy) to get the correct quadrant and normalises to [0, 360).
Formula
Bearing formula
bearing = atan2(Δx, Δy) mod 360°
- Δx
- East displacement (x2 − x1)
- Δy
- North displacement (y2 − y1)
Worked example
With the default values below, Bearing Calculator returns Bearing of 36.8699. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Point 1 — X (East)
- 0
- Point 1 — Y (North)
- 0
- Point 2 — X (East)
- 3
- Point 2 — Y (North)
- 4
Results
- Bearing
- 36.8699 °
- Distance
- 5.000000
Step by step
- 1Compute displacement
- 2Bearing from north= 36.869898°
- 3Distance= 5
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 6 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between bearing and heading?
In navigation they are often used interchangeably. Both measure direction clockwise from north. 'Heading' typically refers to the direction a craft is pointing; 'bearing' to the direction to a target.
How is bearing different from a standard angle?
Standard math angles are measured counter-clockwise from the positive x-axis. Bearings are measured clockwise from north (positive y-axis).