Chapter 10, Problem 10.1P

In adjusting measured traverse angles‘ why aren’t adjustments made in proportion to the angle sizes?

To determine

The reason why the adjustments are not made in proportion to the angle sizes in adjusting measured traverse angles.

Answer to Problem 10.1P

Error is independent of angle size and depends on the method used for measurement.

Explanation of Solution

In elementary methods of traverse adjustment, the first step is to balance the angles to the proper geometric total. For a closed traverse angle balancing is easy since the total error is known. Angles of the closed traverse can be adjusted to the total geometry by any of the following methods:

• Applying an average correction to each angle of the traverse.
• Making larger corrections where the observations and measurements are not done properly.

In a closed traverse, if a single angle is not measured accurately then, error occurring due to one observation reflects in other observations. It is independent on the size of the angle and depends on the method used while measuring the angles. Therefore, adjustments are not made in proportion to the angle sizes in measured traverse angles.