CE 115 FIELD MEASUREMENTS

Angles, Bearings, and Azimuths (SG-12)

Name: _________________________

Angles are classified as _____________ or _____________ depending on the plane in

which they are measured. ______________ angles are needed to determine the interior
angles of a traverse. _____________ angles are used in trigonometric leveling, stadia
surveys and for slope reduction computations. Angles are measured using a total station
or ______________. In surveying, directions are given by _______________ or
______________. The three requirements for determining an angular measurement
include: 1) _____________________, 2) ______________________________ and 3)
____________________.

The _______________ system of angular measurement is used in the United States. It is

based on ____________, ____________ and ____________. In Europe, the _______ or
_______ is the standard unit.

The most commonly measured horizontal angles include: 1) _______________, 2)

exterior angles and 3) ______________ angles. These angles can be measured from the
___________ or ___________. The sum of the interior angles of a closed polygon must
equal ____________ to satisfy the laws of geometry. An exterior angle is always equal
to ______ degrees minus the corresponding interior angle. The Instructor recommends
that angles should always be turned to the right in the field in order to avoid confusion.
______________ angles are measured from an extension of the back line, to the forward
station. They are used primarily in route surveying. Deflection angles are always
smaller than _______ degrees.

The direction of a line is the horizontal angle between it and an arbitrarily chosen line
called a ____________. There are many types of meridians. An _______________
meridian or __________ meridian is the north-south reference line that passes through
the earth’s geographic poles. This meridian is determined by shooting the north star.
This procedure is commonly referred to as a polaris shot. A ____________ meridian is
determined using a compass. An _____________ meridian is determined by assigning
any arbitrary direction to be true north. For example, the curb line of the east side of East
Parkway could be assumed to be true north. TDOT (Tennessee Department of
Transportation) uses a state coordinate system with a grid meridian for their surveys.

____________ and ______________ are used to designate directions of lines. The

____________ angle of a line is defined as the acute horizontal angle between a
reference meridian and the line. A bearing is always measured from the north-south line
and will always be less than _______ degrees. The proper quadrant is shown by the
letter N or S preceding the angle, and E or W following it. For example: N 34° 15’ 30”

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W is read as “north 34 degrees 15 minutes and 30 seconds west”. ____________
bearings can be obtained in the field using a compass and used along with measured
angles to obtain ____________ bearings. Bearings can be referred to as forward bearings
or back bearings depending on the direction of a survey.

____________ are horizontal angles measured clockwise from any reference meridian.
In surveying they are generally measured from the north. Azimuths range from ______
degrees to _______ degrees and they do not require letters to identify the quadrant. To
avoid confusion, the Instructor advises the students to state in their field notes whether
the azimuths are measured from the north or south. Azimuths may be ________,
___________, _______ or ___________, depending on the reference meridian selected.

Many types of surveys, such as boundary surveys and route surveys require the
computation of bearings and/or azimuths to facilitate the calculation of coordinates.
Bearings are readily converted to azimuths and azimuths to bearings by simply noting the
quadrant in which the bearing/azimuth lies.

1) Convert the azimuth 243° 12’ from the north to a bearing.

2) Refer to attached Southern Pines Subdivision Plans. Refer to Lots 209 and 230.
Compute the interior angles of Lots 209 and 230.

3) Calculate the course bearings for the following deflection-angle open route survey
traverse: Bearing STA 0 + 00 to STA 7 + 53.2 = S 86° 03’ 40” E; then 8°45’ 32” R to
STA 11 + 77.8; then 12° 08’ 16” L to STA 14 + 29.3.

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