ANGLES
AND
DIRECTION
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INTRODUCTION
Measuring distances alone in surveying does not establish the location of an
object. We need to locate the object in 3 dimensions.
To accomplish that we need:
I. Horizontal length (distance)
II. Difference in height (elevation)
III. Angular direction
Angles measured in surveying are classified as either horizontal or vertical,
depending on the plane in which they are observed. Horizontal angles are the
basic observations needed for determining bearing and azimuths. Vertical angles
are used in trigonometric levelling stadia and for reducing slope distances to
horizontal. Determining the locations of points and orientations of lines
frequently depends on measurements of angles and directions .In surveying,
directions are given by azimuths and bearings.
❑An angle is defined as the difference in
direction between two convergent lines.
❑A horizontal angle is formed by the
directions to two objects in
a horizontal plane.
❑A vertical angle is formed by two
intersecting lines in a vertical plane,
one of these lines horizontal.
❑A zenith angle is the complementary angle to
the vertical angle and is formed by two intersecting
lines in a vertical plane, one of these lines directed toward the zenith
❑A theodolite is a precision optical instrument for measuring angles between
designated visible points in the horizontal and vertical planes.
TYPES OF ANGLE MEASUREMENT
❑Interior angles are measured clockwise or counter-clockwise between two
adjacent lines on the inside of a closed polygon figure
❑Exterior angles are measured clockwise or counter-clockwise between two
adjacent lines on the outside of a closed polygon figure
❑Deflection angles, right or left, are measured from an extension of the
preceding course and the ahead line. It must be noted when the deflection is
right (R) or left (L)
❑ Angles to the right are turned from the back line in a clockwise or right hand
direction to the ahead line
❑Angles to the left are turned from the back line in a counter-clock wise or left
hand direction to the ahead line
❑Angles are normally measured with a transit or a theodolite, but a compass may
be used for reconnaissance work
BEARINGS- BEARING OF A LINE IS THE DIRECTION OF THE LINE.
Designation of Bearings
Whole circle bearing
❑Bearings measured from north in a clockwise direction is termed as whole circle
bearing .
❑The value varies from 0 degrees to 360 degrees
Reduced Bearing (RB) or quadrantal bearing (QB)
❑The bearings measured either from the north or from the south towards
east or west whichever is nearer is known as reduced bearing
❑The values vary from 0 degrees to 90 degrees for a particular quadrant.
❑It is also known as quadrantal bearing (QB)
AZIMUTHS
Azimuths are angles measured clockwise from any reference meridian. They are
measured from the north and vary from 0° to 360o and do not require letters to
identify their quadrant.
Azimuth of a line is the horizontal angle between 2 lines
Azimuth:
OA =40o
OB = 180 - 25o = 155o
OC =180 + 30o =210o
OD =360- 45o =315o
BEARING AND AZIMUTH
COMPARISON OF AZIMUTH AND BEARING
Because bearings and azimuths are encountered in so many surveying
operations, there is important to know the conversion of these two.
Example 1
The azimuth of a boundary line is 128° 13’ 46”. Convert this into bearing.
The azimuth places the line in the southeast quadrant. Quadrant II
Thus the bearing angle is: 180° - 128° 13’ 46” = 51° 46’14’’
and the equivalent bearing is S 51° 46’ 14” E
Example 2
The first course of a boundary survey is written as N 37° 13’ W. What is its
equivalent azimuth?
Since the bearing is in the northwest quadrant, Quadrant IV
the azimuth is: 360° - 37° 13’ = 322° 47’00’’
0o
QUADRANT
QUADRANT IV: QUADRANT I:
NORTHWEST QUADRANT NORTHEAST QUADRANT
AZIMUTH = 360-BEARING AZIMUTH = BEARING
BEARING = 360-AZIMUTH BEARING = AZIMUTH
270o 90o
QUADRANT III: QUADRANT II:
SOUTHWEST QUADRANT SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
AZIMUTH = 180+BEARING AZIMUTH = 180-BEARING
BEARING = AZIMUTH-180 BEARING = 180-AZIMUTH
180o
EXAMPLE PROBLEMS
1. CONVERT THE FOLLOWING AZIMUTHS
TO BEARING
OA = 54o 20’ OA = 154o 25’
OA = 261o 25’
EXAMPLE PROBLEMS
2. CONVERT THE FOLLOWING QUADRANTAL
BEARINGS TO WHOLE CIRCLE BEARINGS.
OA = N 15o 10’ E
OB = S 37o 50’ E
OC = S 49o 40’ W
OD = N 80o 25’ W
RECTANGULAR COORDINATE
POLAR COORDINATE
COORDINATE IN A PLANE
SURVEYING COORDINATE
For surveying we use a slightly different form of notation, instead of x, y
We use E, N (Easting, Northing)
Note:
✓ Easting is always quoted first
and then Northing
✓ Θ is always measured in a
clockwise direction from
North
✓ Θ is known as the whole
circle bearing
✓ We must be able to convert
from Rectangular to Polar and
from Polar to Rectangular
very quickly
FINDING COORDINATE
GIVEN THE COORDINATES OF TWO POINTS, CALCULATE THE
DISTANCE AND BEARING BETWEEN OF THE LINE JOINING THEM
METHOD OF CORRECTING THE BEARING
There are two methods of correcting the bearing affected by local attraction:
Included angle method:
The included angles of the traverse are calculated first, then starting from the line which
is unaffected by local attraction and using the included angles, the corrected bearings of
the traverse are computed
Error computation method:
The direction and the amount of local attraction at each survey station is determined
Start from the line which is unaffected by local attraction, the corrected bearing of the
traverse are computed
More accurate than the included angle method
It is adopted by most of the surveyors
EXAMPLE PROBLEMS
3. The whole circle bearings of the sides of a traverse ABCDEF are given
below. Compute the internal angles.
Bearing of AB =290°45'
Bearing of BC =250"43'
Bearing of CD =196°12'
Bearing of DE =175°24'
Bearing of EF =112°18'
Bearing of FA =30°00'
EXAMPLE PROBLEMS
4. The interior angles of a five-side traverse are as follows:
A= 117o30’ C = 142o54’
B = 96o32’ D = 132o18’
The angle E is not measured assumed AB due north.
a. Compute the deflection angle at C
b. Compute the bearing of line DE
c. Compute the bearing of line AE
