SPHERICAL EXCESS

A BEAR WALKS 10 MILES TO THE SOUTH

THEN WALKS ANOTHER 10 MILES TO THE EAST

THEN WALKS ANOTHER 10 MILES TO THE NORTH

IF THE BEAR LANDED ON THE SAME POINT

WHERE IT STARTED,

WHAT COLOR IS THE BEAR?

 10 MILES TO THE NORTH

10 MILES TO THE SOUTH 10 MILES TO THE EAST

90 90

90 + 90 = 180
SPHERICAL EXCESS IS DEFINED AS THE AMOUNT BY WHICH
THE SUM OF THE INTERIOR ANGLES OF A SPHERICAL
TRIANGLE EXCEEDS 180

B C

A + B + C = 180 + e
SPHERICAL EXCESS IS THE RATIO OF THE AREA OF THE SPHERICAL
TRIANGLE AND THE SQUARE OF THE RADIUS OF THE SPHERE
WHERE THE TRIANGLE LIES

(e IN RADIANS) = A= (e IN DEGREES)
180
 SPHERICAL EXCESS FORMULA GIVEN 3 SIDES

A
b
c

B C

= ( )

APPROXIMATING THE SPHERICAL EXCESS

REGULAR SINE AND COSINE LAW APPLIES

PLANE TRIANGLE
APPROXIMATING THE SPHERICAL EXCESS

A
c
b A=

B C

SIDES ARE MEASURED IN LINEAR DISTANCE

SPHERICAL EXCESS IS EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED BETWEEN THE 3 INTERIOR ANGLES

SPHERICAL EXCESS IS ALWAYS GREATER THAN 0

SPHERICAL EXCESS CANNOT BE GREATER THAN 360

TRIANGULATION ADJUSTMENT

1ST CORRECTION: SUM OF THE INTERIOR ANGLES = 180 + e

2ND CORRECTION: SUM OF THE INTERIOR ANGLES = 180

SAMPLE PROBLEM

Compute the spherical excess of the spherical triangle given

the following values:
A

B = 703230 A=


AB = 32000 m A=

BC = 35000 m C
B

(e IN RADIANS) =
RADIUS = 6400 km
(e IN SECONDS) = . "
EQUIVALENT SEA LEVEL LENGTH
horizontal distances are reduced to sea level when it is required
to count them into equivalent distance at another elevation,
such as the average elevation of a survey for which the
variation in elevation over the area is large
 L

TOPOGRAPHIC SURFACE

h
SL MEAN SEA LEVEL

R = RADIUS OF THE EARTH

R h = AVERAGE ELEVATION
L = MEASURED DISTANCE

SL = EQUIVALENT SEA LEVEL LENGTH

 L

= ( ) (ABOVE MSL)


= ( + ) (BELOW MSL)

h SL

R
SAMPLE PROBLEM

A line 10.51 km long lies on the surface of the earth with an

average elevation of 300 m above MSL. Assuming the radius of
the earth to be 6400 km, determine the equivalent sea level
length of the line.
QUIZ

If the area of a spherical triangle is 591 675 802.5

sq m and two of its interior angles are 5808
and 6118, compute the value of the third
angle. Assume the radius of the earth equals 6
378 137 m.
SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER 13 (TUESDAY) PROBSET SPHERICAL EXCESS

AND SEA LEVEL LENGTH

SEPTEMBER 15 (THURSDAY) FREE DAY

SEPTEMBER 20 (TUESDAY) FIRST LONG EXAM

BRING ATLEAST 3 A4 SIZE BOND PAPER,

CALCULATOR, BLACK BALLPEN,
PROTRACTOR (OPTIONAL)