FUNDAMENTAL SURVEYING Mathematics and Statistics

Question 1

What is the sum of interior angles of a closed traverse with 5 sides?

Accepted Answer

540°

Answer

The sum of interior angles of a closed polygon is (n-2) × 180°, so (5-2) × 180° = 540°.

Question 2

A slope distance of 500 ft is measured at a vertical angle of 10°. What is the horizontal distance?

Accepted Answer

492.4 ft

Answer

Horizontal distance = slope distance × cos(vertical angle) = 500 × cos(10°) ≈ 492.4 ft.

Question 3

What is the standard deviation of a series of measurements: 10.1, 9.9, 10.0, 10.2, 9.8?

Accepted Answer

0.158

Answer

The standard deviation of this data set (mean = 10.0) is approximately 0.158.

Question 4

In surveying, the propagation of random errors follows which law?

Accepted Answer

Law of error propagation

Answer

The law of error propagation states that the variance of a function equals the sum of squared partial derivatives times the respective variances.

Question 5

What does a 90% confidence interval mean in surveying measurements?

Accepted Answer

There is a 90% probability the true value lies within the interval

Answer

A 90% confidence interval means there is a 90% probability that the true value falls within the stated range.

FUNDAMENTAL SURVEYING Practice Test