Traverse: Calculate Interior Angles with CE 404 Surveying Quiz and Flashcards

Study Notes

A traverse is a series of consecutive lines whose ends have been marked in the field and whose lengths and directions have been determined from observations.

Closed Traverse: Provides checks on the observed angles and distances, which is an extremely important consideration. Used extensively in control, construction, property, and topographic surveys.
Open Traverse: Consists of a series of lines that are connected but do not return to the starting point or close upon a point of equal or greater order accuracy. Should be avoided because they offer no means of checking for observational errors and mistakes.

Personal Errors: Instrument not centered over point, pointing errors, unequal settling of tripod, improper focusing of telescope, instrument not level, and placement and plumbing of rod.

Bearings: Vary from 0 to 90 degrees, require two letters and a numerical value, and are measured clockwise and counterclockwise from north and south.
Azimuths: Vary from 0 to 360 degrees, require only a numerical value, and are measured clockwise only from north or south.

Used principally in land surveying, the usual practice of measuring angles is in a clockwise direction. Interior Angle – angle enclosed by the sides of a closed traverse.

Sample problem: Determine the interior angle at C in a five-sided closed traverse.
Sample problem: Determine the bearing of each line if the bearing of line AB is N 15°30’ E.
Sample problem: Determine the bearing and azimuth from north of all traverse lines.
Sample problem: Calculate latitude and departure for a closed traverse.

Latitude: The projection on the north-south meridian. Northern Latitude is positive, while Southern Latitude is negative.
Departure: The projection on the east-west line. Eastern Departure is positive, while Western Departure is negative.
For a closed traverse, ΣLatitude = 0 and ΣDeparture = 0.