Making Maths: Clinometers

A clinometer is a tool that is used to measure the angle of elevation, or angle from the
ground, in a right - angled triangle. You can use a clinometer to measure the height of
tall things that you can't possibly reach to the top of, flag poles, buildings, trees. Follow
the directions below to create your own clinometer.

You will need:

 A protractor with a small hole on the centre spot or

 Print out of paper protractor (see below)
 Poster board or card board (can be from a box) to back the protractor
 20 cm or about 8 inches of string or strong cotton
 Weight - such as a metal nut, paper clips or a small piece of clay
 Glue and Scissors
 A straw
 Clear Tape
 Items marked with the red check are needed with either type of protractor.

Directions:

 If you are making a protractor, cut out the copy of the protractor.
 Get the piece of poster board or an empty box. Stick the paper protractor on top
of the card and cut the joined pieces.
 Get the straw and tape it to the straight edge of your protractor that you made
above.
 With your pen or pencil, poke a hole through the center of the protractor where it
meets the straw. Push the string through the hole and tie a large knot on the
other side so it won't pull through.
 Tie your weight to the other end of the string.

To use the clinometer:

The diagram shows what the assembled clinometer will look like when laying an a flat
surface. When using it, the straw will be on the top.

You will need two people: one to look through the straw and site the top of an object
and one to read the degrees that the string makes with the protractor.

 Find a tall tree (or building, flag pole etc.) in a place where there is plenty of
space to move away from the object that you are measuring.
 Look through the staw and find the top of the tree.
 Ask your friend to read the angle being recorded on the clinometer. This is read
where the string or cotton is touching the protractor.
 Keep moving back (or forward if you've gone too far) until you have the
clinometer angle measuring 45 degrees. With a 45 degree angle your job will be
much easier as the distance from you to the tree will be equal to the distance
from the ground to the top of the tree.
 Measure the distance between where you are standing and the base of the tree.
  Measure the distance from your eyes to the ground (this is where your partner is
indispensible!)
 Add these two distances together - because to be most accurate the triangle has
to finish at your feet not your eyes.
 You now have a very close approximation of the height of the tree, building or
other tall structure.

You, the base of the tree and the top of the tree, form an isosceles triangle meaning the
distance from you to the base of the tree is equal to the height of the tree (from the
viewer's eyes to the top).

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Elms Home Tutorials Great Trees Using a Clinometer to Measure Height
 How to Use a Clinometer

A clinometer is used to measure angles. This is the method used by foresters to

measure the height of a tree. The clinometer only works for measuring height when the
observer is standing exactly one "chain" length away from the tree (66’ or 100 links). A
“chain” is a unit of measure unique to forestry and dates back to the use of chains to
drag felled trees out of the forest.

1. To use the clinometer, pinch the brass ring between your thumb and forefinger and
look through the black eye piece using only one eye. If possible, the other eye should
be looking at the tree. In the eyepiece you will see a black line and a scale. The right
side of the scale is the height reading, the left is % slope. You want to read the right
side of the scale.

a. Tilt your head until the black line is on the base of the tree and read and
remember the number where the black line crosses the right hand side of the
scale. (It will be a negative number because zero equals the height of your eye
and you will inevitably be looking down at the base of the tree.) This is the
distance from the height of your eye to the base of the tree.

b. Repeat the process above except this time place the black line where you think
the top of the tree is located. Read and remember the number where the black
line crosses the right side of the scale. This is the distance from the top of the
tree to the height of your eye. (It will be a positive number because you will be
looking above the height of your eye. Unless, of course, the height of the tree is
level or below eye level.) Note: When using the clinometer one must often
“guesstimate” where the highest point of the tree is located.

c. Simply add these two numbers together to get the overall height of the tree.
(When adding the negative number from the first reading, forget what you learned
in math class. In this case the number is negative only because it is below the
height of your eye.)
Remember, the easiest way to measure 66', so you are standing in the right place when
you use the clinometer, is to know your pace. Your pace is simply how far you have
walked when your right or left foot strikes the ground . For example, start walking with
your right foot, then your left then your right again. STOP! Measure this distance. You
will have to do this many times and walk the same way every time so that, with practice,
you can accurately duplicate the same distance. Knowing this, you can now measure
distances in the field without the need for a tape measure. (Note; as you grow and your
legs get longer your "pace" will change.)

___________

The math involved uses trigonometry, which you will encounter in high school.
Fortunately, the instrument does all the calculations for you. Foresters are LAZY! (not
really) But they are also SMART! (A much better combination than lazy and stupid, and
not nearly as good as hard-working and smart!)

Math Explanation: Note that the theory behind the clinometer utilizes trigonometry,
which you will encounter in high school. Trigonometry is frequently used for indirect
measurements like measuring the height of an object.

i. First note that we are working with two right triangles (one formed by the height of the
eye to the top of the tree and the other formed by the height of the eye to the base of
the tree. See the red lines in the diagram above) and we know only three things about
each:

1. The base of the triangle is equal to 66’ (one chain)

2. One of the three angles is 90°

3. The clinometer is measuring another one of the angles.

ii. From this we can quickly determine the third interior angle of the triangle, though it is
not particularly useful to know for our purposes. All three interior angles of a triangle
must equal 180°. Use this formula: x = 180 - (c+90), where “c” is the angle measured by
the clinometer.

iii. What we want to know is the length of the side opposite the angle measured by the
clinometer (the height of the triangle) and all we know is the length of the base and all
three interior angles. The trigonomic ratio called “tangent”, abbreviated “tan”, will allow
us to calculate the height of the triangle. (The tangent of an angle is a ratio of the length
of the side opposite the reference angle, to the length of the side adjacent to the
reference angle. In other words, tangent of an angle = opposite side ÷ adjacent side)
Use the following formula:

Tan(c) = ---- or h = 66 x tan(c)

66

where h=height of triangle and c=the angle measured by the clinometer.

iv. Whew! So to measure the height of the tree we must use the clinometer to perform
this calculation for both right triangles. By assuming the base of the triangle (eye level)
is 66’ and knowing the angle measured when you tilt your head, the clinometer simply
has a calibrated scale of results that moves as you move your head – or as you change
the angle you are measuring. For a dynamic interpretation of the relationships between
the sides and angles of a right triangle see: http://catcode.com/trig/trig04.html.