NAME: DATE:

CODE/TIME: CE 311/ 08868/ WED-THU: 8-12nn INSTRUCTOR: ENGR. JOSE S. CONDONAR JR.
LAB EXERCISE NO. 9
PROBLEM: CLOSED COMPASS TRAVERSE
OBJECTIVE: a)To determine the magnetic bearings of each line of a closed compass traverse
b) To learn how to adjust an closed compass traverse.
LAB EXERCISE OUTLINE
A. INSTRUMENTS & ACCESSORIES: Surveyor’s or Brunton Pocket compass, Pegs or Chaining Pins, Steel
Tape, Range Poles, and Hubs.
B. PROCEDURE:
1. Establish at least five traverse stations at designated points on the field assigned to be surveyed. Call
these stations (or corners) A, B, C, and so forth.
2. Set and level the compass at A and release the needle of the compass so that it will swing freely on its
pivot.
3. Sight the compass on the last traverse station and read the magnetic bearing. Record this as the back
bearing of the last line in the traverse.
4. Sight B and read the compass box. This as the forward bearing of line AB.
5. Transfer the compass to B. Sight on A and read the compass box and record this as the back bearing
of line Ab.
6. Turn towards the direction of C, then read and record the forward bearing of line BC.
7. Transfer to C and sight on B. read and record the back bearing of line BC, the sight on D and also read
and record the forward bearing of line CD.
8. Proceed to the next station and repeat the above procedure of determining back and forward
bearings for each line. Continue until the last traverse station is occupied and the forward bearing of
the last line has been read and accordingly recorded.
9. With a steel tape, measure the length of each line in the traverse twice and record the mean as the
actual length of the line.
10. Tabulate and observed and adjusted values accordingly. Refer to the accompanying sample format
for the tabulation of field data.

LINE LENGT OBSERVED ST COMPUTED CORR ADJUSTED ADJUSTED BEARINGS

H BEARINGS A INT ANGLE INT ANGLE
FORWAR BACK FORWAR BACK
D D
1-2 1
2-3 2
3-4 3
4-5 4
5-6 5
6-1 6
C. COMPUTATIONS:
1. The interior angle at each station of the traverse can be computed easily from the observed forward
and back bearings taken from the station regardless of whether or not the needle is affected locally. A
carefully prepared sketch is important since from it the required calculations will be obvious.
2. The angular error of closure is determined by subtracting the sum of the computed interior angles of
the traverse from (n-2) x 180deg, where n is the number of sides in the traverse. Note that the
computed value may be a positive or negative quantity, and the resulting sign should be considered
in all succeeding computations.
 3.The correction for each computed interior angle is determined by dividing the angular error of closure
by the number of traverse stations. This computed value is then added algebraically to each
computed interior angle to determine the corresponding adjusted interior angle.
4. Go over the observed bearings and determine which line in the traverse is free from local attraction
or which could be arbitrarily chosen as the best line. The adjustment of traverse lines affected by
local attraction is then made by starting from the unaffected or best line.
5. The forward and back bearings of all other lines in the traverse affected by local attraction can then
be easily computed and adjusted by again drawing a sketch thus making all calculations obvious.
6. Finally, tabulate the adjusted bearings of the traverse.
D. REMARKS, HINTS & PRECAUTIONS:
Same as the given in the previous lab exercise.