Distance Measurement & Traversing Flashcards
6 cards from real FUNDAMENTAL SURVEYING practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Distance Measurement & Traversing flashcards as text
What is the primary purpose of a closed traverse in surveying?
Answer: To return to the starting point and check for closure error
A closed traverse returns to its starting point, allowing surveyors to detect and quantify errors by computing the closure.
Which unit of length is equal to 66 feet and commonly used in US land surveying?
Answer: Chain
The Gunter's chain equals 66 feet and was the standard unit for US public land surveys, with 80 chains equaling one mile.
What is 'slope distance' in surveying?
Answer: The measured distance along an inclined surface
Slope distance is the actual measured distance along an inclined line between two points, which must be reduced to horizontal distance for mapping.
A traverse has a departure error of +0.32 ft and a latitude error of -0.45 ft. What is the linear closure?
Answer: 0.55 ft
Linear closure = sqrt(0.32^2 + 0.45^2) = sqrt(0.1024 + 0.2025) = sqrt(0.3049) approximately 0.55 ft.
What does 'precision' mean in the context of a traverse survey?
Answer: The ratio of linear closure to total traverse length
Traverse precision is expressed as the ratio of linear closure to the total perimeter length (e.g., 1:10,000).
When using an electronic distance meter (EDM), what does the instrument measure directly?
Answer: The time or phase shift of electromagnetic waves
EDMs measure distance by transmitting electromagnetic waves and analyzing the phase shift or travel time of the return signal.