LAB EXERCISE No.

PROBLEM : DETERMINING AREA OF A RECTILINEAR FIELD BY TAPE

OBJECTIVES : a) To learn how to measure horizontal angles with tape.

b) To determine the area of a rectilinear field with tape.

LAB EXERCISE OUTLINE

A. INSTRUMENTS and ACCESSORIES: Tape, Chaining Pins

B. PROCEDURE:

1. Establish the corners of the assigned filed and establish within the field a
centrally-located point.
2. Subdivide the field into a convenient series of connected triangles (refer to figure
shown). Use chaining pins to mark the vertices of each triangle. Call these A, B,
C, D and E.
3. From the centrally-located point, measure distances to each point defining the
corners or vertices of each triangle. Call these distances d 1, d2, d3, d4, and d5.
4. Using the chord method of measuring angles by tape, determine all the angles
about the central point, i.e., Ø1, Ø2, Ø3, Ø4, and Ø5.
5. Refer to the accompanying sample tabulation for the recording of observed field
data.
C. COMPUTATIONS:

1. Determining Values of Included Angles.

Included Chord Length of Computed Adjusted

Correction
Angle Distance Side Angle Angle
Ø1
Ø2
 Ø3
Ø4
Ø5

2. Determining Area of Each Triangle

A= (1/2) *a*b*Sin C Where:

A1 = area of triangle
a,b = the two measured sides of the
triangle (or d1, d2, d3, etc.)
C = included angle (or Ø1, Ø2, Ø3, etc)

Sides
Triangle Included Angle Area
1st 2nd
ABF
BCF
CDF
DEF
AEF

3. Calculating the Total Area

A (total) = A1 + A2 + A3 + A4 + A5

D. REMARKS, HINTS and PRECAUTIONS

1. Determining areas of rectilinear fields by tape is a slow process and is not

advisable when large areas are involved.

2. This method of field survey was widely used before instruments for measuring
angles were built.
3. The accuracy of the values obtained by this procedure is dependent on the size
of the angle, on the care on which the points are set on the line, and on the
accuracy of the measured lengths.

4. Experience will show that with reasonable care value of angle determined by
tape measurements would agree with the value obtained with a transit within one
to three minutes.

5. All distances from the centrally-located point of the field to the different corners
should be measured twice and the mean recorded as its actual length.