University of Cebu (UC)

College of Engineering (COE)

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE)

“CE 211 – FUNDAMENTALS OF SURVEYING”

Pacing – the simplest method of measuring distance.

Pace – Length of a step, measured heel-to-heel or toe-to-toe.
Stride – a double step. One stride is equivalent to two paces.
Pace factor – the distance covered by one pace. = Length / no. of paces
PACING TAPING
1 stride = 2 paces 1 tally = 10 pins
(double step) 1 pin = 1 tape length
1 rod = 1 pole = 1 perch = 16.5ft
1 acre = 100,000 sq. links
1 statute mile = 5280ft 1 Engineer’s Chain = 100ft = 100 links
1 fathom = 6ft 1 Gunter’s chain = 66ft
1 cubit = 18in 1 Gunter’s chain = 100 Gunter’s links (lk)
1 vara = 33in 1 Gunter’s chain = 4 rods
1 military pace = 2.5ft 1 Gunter’s chain = 1/80 mile
SAMPLE PROBLEMS
PROBLEM: A line was measured to be 3 tallies and 6 pins long. Find the length of the line in
meters.

PROBLEM: A civil engineer recorded 50.8, 52.3, 51.6, and 53.2 paces in walking along a 47.5m
course to determine his pace factor. He then took 660, 658, 671, and 670 paces in walking an
unknown distance AB. Compute the distance AB based on his pace factor.

PROBLEM: A man walks along a 250m course and counted 127, 126.75, 128, 129.75, and
128.50 strides. Then he walked another points on a level ground and recorded 410, 410.75,
409.75, and 410.50 strides, determine the length of these two points.

COMPASS SURVEYING

Azimuth – it is a horizontal angles observed clockwise from any reference meridian. In plane
surveying, azimuths are generally observed from north, but astronomers and the military have
used south as the reference direction.

Bearing – it is an another system for designating directions of lines. The bearing of a line is
defined as the acute horizontal angle between a reference meridian and the line. The angle is
observed from either the north or south toward the east or west, to give a reading smaller
than 90°.
Compass surveying – a survey method in which the directions of survey lines are determined
by means of a compass.
Surveyor’s compass – an instrument for determining the horizontal direction of a line with
reference to the direction of a magnetic needle
Magnetic declination – the angle that a magnetic meridian makes with the true meridian
Magnetic meridian – it is an equivalent imaginary line connecting the
magnetic south and north poles and can be taken as the horizontal component of magnetic
force lines along the surface of the earth.

True meridian – it is the plane that passes through true north poles and true south poles at
the spot of the observer. The difference between true meridian and magnetic meridian is that
the true meridian is fixed while the magnetic meridian is formed through the movement of the
needle.

Local attraction – the magnetic needle is sometimes disturbed from its normal position under
the influence of external attractive forces. The sources of local attraction may be natural or
artificial. Natural sources include Iron ores or magnetic rocks while as artificial sources consist
of steel structures, iron pipes, current carrying conductors.

Magnetic dip – the vertical angle which the magnetic needle makes with the horizontal due to
uneven magnetic attraction from the magnetic poles
Isogonic lines – imaginary lines passing through places having the same magnetic declinations
Isoclinic lines – imaginary lines passing through points having the same magnetic dip
Agonic lines – imaginary line passing through places having zero declination
Bearing – the bearing of a line is the horizontal angle which it makes with a reference line
(meridian) depending upon the meridian, there are four types of bearings.

True Bearing – it is the horizontal angle between the true meridian and the survey line. It is
measured from the true north in the clockwise direction.

Magnetic Bearing – it is the horizontal angle which the line makes with the magnetic north.

Grid Bearing – it is the horizontal angle which the line makes with the grid meridian

Arbitrary Bearing – it is the horizontal angle which the line makes with the arbitrary meridian.

SAMPLE PROBLEMS

PROBLEM: The observed compass bearing of a line in 1981 was S 37030’ E and the magnetic
declination of the place then was known to be 3010’ W. It has also discovered that during the
local attraction of the place at that moment of 50E existed. Find the true azimuth of the line.

PROBLEM: In a particular year, the magnetic declination was 1010’ E and the magnetic bearing
of the line DE was N 16030’ W. If the secular variation per year is 3’ E, determine the magnetic
bearing of line DE 5 years later?
SITUATION: The following bearings taken on a closed compass. Assuming the observed bearing
of line AB to be correct;

Line Forward Bearing Backward Bearing

AB S 37030’ E N 37030’ W
BC S 43015’ W N 44015’ E
CD N 73000’ W S 72015’ E
DE N 12045’ E S 13015’ W
EA N 60000’ E S 59000’ W
a. Compute the bearing of line BC

b. Compute the bearing of line CD

c. Compute the bearing of line DE

SITUATION: The interior angles of a five side traverse are as follows:

A = 117030’ C = 142054’
B = 96032’ D = 132018’
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.

SITUATION: Given the following deflection angles of a closed traverse. Assume bearing of line
AB is S 400 E;

Station Deflection Angles

A 85020’ L
B 10011’ R
C 83032’ L
D 63027’ L
E 34018’ L
F 72056’ L
G 30045’ L
a. Compute the total error of the deflection angle

b. Compute the bearing of line DE

c. Compute the bearing of line GA

PREPARED BY: ENGR. DIOSFER L. LEDESMA

 PLATE NO. 2

(COMPASS SURVEYING)

1. EG paces 60m length six times with the following results: 67, 68, 67.5, 65, 69.5, and 68.5
paces. Determine how many paces he must step off in order to establish a distance of 135m
on a level ground.

2. Compute the length of a line negotiated in 1560 paces by a person whose pace is 0.975.

3. A field is in the form of a regular pentagon. The direction of the bounding sides was
surveyed with an assumed meridian 50 to the right of the true north and south meridian. As
surveyed with an assumed meridian, the bearing of one side AB is N 33020’ W

3.1. Compute the true bearing of line BC.

3.2. Compute the true azimuth of line CD.

3.3. Compute the true bearing of line AE.

4. The side AB of an equilateral field ABC with an area of 692.80 sq. m. has a magnetic bearing
of N 48045’ E in 1930 when the magnetic declination was 0052’ E. Assume B and C is on the
north east side.

4.1. Find the true bearing of AB.

4.2. Find the length of AD with point D on the line BC and making the area of the
triangle ABD one third of the whole area.

4.3. Compute the bearing of line AD.

PREPARED BY: ENGR. DIOSFER L. LEDESMA