FUNDAMENTAL SURVEYING Distance Measurement & Traversing

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of a closed traverse in surveying?

Accepted Answer

To return to the starting point and check for closure error

Answer

A closed traverse returns to its starting point, allowing surveyors to detect and quantify errors by computing the closure.

Question 2

Which unit of length is equal to 66 feet and commonly used in US land surveying?

Accepted Answer

Chain

Answer

The Gunter's chain equals 66 feet and was the standard unit for US public land surveys, with 80 chains equaling one mile.

Question 3

What is 'slope distance' in surveying?

Accepted Answer

The measured distance along an inclined surface

Answer

Slope distance is the actual measured distance along an inclined line between two points, which must be reduced to horizontal distance for mapping.

Question 4

A traverse has a departure error of +0.32 ft and a latitude error of -0.45 ft. What is the linear closure?

Accepted Answer

0.55 ft

Answer

Linear closure = sqrt(0.32^2 + 0.45^2) = sqrt(0.1024 + 0.2025) = sqrt(0.3049) approximately 0.55 ft.

Question 5

What does 'precision' mean in the context of a traverse survey?

Accepted Answer

The ratio of linear closure to total traverse length

Answer

Traverse precision is expressed as the ratio of linear closure to the total perimeter length (e.g., 1:10,000).

FUNDAMENTAL SURVEYING Practice Test