FUNDAMENTAL SURVEYING Distance Measurement & Traversing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What correction must be applied when a steel tape is used at a temperature different from its standardization temperature?
- Tension correction
- Temperature correction (Correct answer)
- Sag correction
- Sea-level correction
Correct answer: Temperature correction
Steel expands and contracts with temperature, so a temperature correction is applied using the coefficient of thermal expansion (0.0000065/F for steel).
Question 2: What is the 'departure' of a survey line?
- The vertical rise along the line
- The east-west (x-axis) component of the line (Correct answer)
- The north-south (y-axis) component of the line
- The angular deviation from magnetic north
Correct answer: The east-west (x-axis) component of the line
Departure is the east-west projection of a survey line, calculated as distance times sin(bearing).
Question 3: In the Compass (Bowditch) Rule for traverse adjustment, corrections are distributed proportional to:
- The square of each course length
- The length of each course relative to total traverse length (Correct answer)
- The interior angle at each station
- The inverse of the azimuth
Correct answer: The length of each course relative to total traverse length
The Compass Rule distributes closure errors proportionally to each course's length as a fraction of the total traverse perimeter.
Question 4: A line has an azimuth of 225 degrees. What is its equivalent bearing?
- S 45 W (Correct answer)
- N 45 W
- S 45 E
- N 45 E
Correct answer: S 45 W
225 degrees azimuth falls in the SW quadrant; bearing = 225 - 180 = 45, so the bearing is S 45 W.
Question 5: What is the 'latitude' of a survey course?
- The geographic latitude of the survey point
- The north-south (y-axis) projection of the course (Correct answer)
- The east-west projection of the course
- The elevation difference between endpoints
Correct answer: The north-south (y-axis) projection of the course
Latitude is the north-south component of a survey line, calculated as distance times cos(bearing).
Question 6: For a precision requirement of 1:5,000 on a 2,500-ft traverse, what is the maximum allowable linear closure?
- 2.5 ft
- 0.5 ft (Correct answer)
- 5.0 ft
- 0.25 ft
Correct answer: 0.5 ft
Maximum closure = 2,500 divided by 5,000 = 0.5 ft.
FUNDAMENTAL SURVEYING Distance Measurement & Traversing 2
What correction must be applied when a steel tape is used at a temperature different from its standardization temperature?