Measurement Distance: Taping

Taping is the linear measurement of the horizontal distance between two points using a
surveyor's tape. Observation of horizontal distances by taping consists of. Applying the known
length of a graduated tape directly to line a number of times. The tape is called a "chain" and is
usually 100 ft in length. The term "chain" comes from the form of the early tapes, which were
composed of 100 links, each one-foot long.

Taping Correction:

Errors in Measurement of Distances:

1. Tape not standard
2. Imperfect alignment of tape
3. Tape not horizontal
4. Tape not stretch straight
5. Imperfection of observation
6. Variations in temperature
7. Variations in tension

Mistakes in Measurement of Distances:

1. Adding or dropping a full tape length
2. Adding a cm., usually in measuring the fractional part of tape length at the end of the line.
3. Recording numbers incorrectly, example 78 is read as 87.
4. Reading wrong meter mark.
SURVEY-1; ACTIVITY/QUIZ 001
 LAB EXERCISES NO. 3

TITLE: TAPING OVER SMOOTH AND LEVEL GROUND

OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE HORIZONTAL LENGTH OF A LINE OVER SMOOTH AND

LEVEL GROUND WITH THE TAPE SUPPORTED THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH.

A. INSTRUMENTS & ACCESSORIES: 30-M OR 100 FT STEEL TAPE, CHAINING PINS, RANGE
POLES, PEGS OR HUBS, CHALK OR MARKING CRAYONS, AND SPRING SCALE.

B. PROCEDURE:

1. USING HUBS, MARK BOTH ENDS OF THE LINE (150 TO 300 M LONG) TO BE
MEASURED. PLACE RANGE POLE BEHIND EACH POINT AND ALSO ESTABLISH
INTERMEDIATE POINTS ALONG THE LINE TO ENSURE UNOBSTRUCTED SIGHT LINES.
IF THE POINT TO BE MARKED IS ON PAVEMENT, USE CHALK OR MARKING CRAYONS.
DESIGNATE THESE END POINTS AS A AND B.

2. THE REAR TAPEMAN WITH ONE PIN STATIONS HIMSELF AT THE POINT OF
BEGINNING AND THE HEAD TAPEMAN TAKES ZERO END OF THE TAPE AND
ADVANCE TOWARD THE OTHER END OF THE LINE TO BE MEASURED.

3. WHEN THE HEAD TAPEMAN HAS GONE NEARLY A FULL TAPE LENGTH, THE REAR
TAPEMAN CALLS, “TAPE” TO STOP THE HEAD TAPEMAN. THE REAR TAPEMAN THEN
HOLDS THE 30-M (OR 100 FT) MARK AT THE STARTING POINT AND ALIGNS THE
OTHER END OF THE TAPE HELD BY THE HEAD TAPEMAN ON THE RANGE POLE SET
BEHIND THE END POINT OR ON ANY OF THE INTERMEDIATE POINTS EARLIER
ESTABLISHED ALONG THE LINE.

4. WITH THE 30-M MARK AT THE STARTING POINT, AND THE HEAD TAPEMAN
ALIGNED, THE REAR TAPEMAN CALLS “ALL RIGHT”. THE HEAD TAPEMAN THEN
PULLS THE TAPE TAUT AND STICKS A CHAINING PIN IN THE GROUND TO MARK THE
0-M END OF THE TAPE. IF THE MEASUREMENT IS DONE ON PAVEMENT, A CHALK
OR MARKING CRAYON IS USED TO MARK THE END OF THE TAPE.

5. THE REAR TAPEMAN PICKS UP HIS CHAINING PIN AND THE HEAD TAPEMAN PULLS
THE TAPE FORWARD AND THE PROCESS IS REPEATED FOR THE NEXT FULL TAPE
LENGTH.

6. WHEN THE END OF THE LINE IS ALMOST REACHED AND THE LAST FULL TAPE
LENGTH HAS BEEN MEASURED, THE REMAINING PARTIAL LENGTH IS THEN
MEASURED. THE REAR TAPEMAN HOLDS THE TAPE UNTIL HE HAS A FULL METER
(OR FOOT) MARK AT HIS CHAINING PIN WHILE THE HEAD TAPEMAN PULLS THE
TAPE END.

7. AFTER THE MEASUREMENT OF THE WHOLE LINE IS COMPLETED, A SECOND

MEASUREMENT SHOULD BE MADE ALONG THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE MEAN
OF THE TWO MEASUREMENTS IS TAKEN AS THE MOST PROBABLE VALUE OF THE
LENGTH OF THE LINE.

8. TABULATE OBSERVED AND COMPUTED VALUES ACCORDINGLY. REFER TO THE

ACCOMPANYING SAMPLE FORMAT FOR THE TABULATION OF DATA.
TRIAL LINE LENGTH DIFFERENCE MEAN RELATIVE PRECISION

1 AB

2 BA

C. COMPUTATIONS:

1. THE MEAN LENGTH OF THE MEASURED LINE IS DETERMINED BY ADDING THE TWO
MEASUREMENTS AND DIVIDING THE SUM BY TWO.

2. THE DISCREPANCY FOR THE MEASUREMENT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE

FIRST MEASUREMENT AND THE SECOND MEASUREMENT.

3. THE RELATIVE PRECISION OF THE MEASUREMENT IS DETERMINED BY DIVIDING THE

DISCREPANCY BY THE MEAN LENGTH, WHERE THE NUMERATOR IS REDUCED TO
UNITY OR 1. RELATIVE PRECISION IS EXPRESSED IN FRACTIONAL FORM AND THE
DENOMINATOR IS ROUNDED TO THE NEAREST HUNDREDTH.

D. DOCUMENTATION / PICTURES:

E. CONCLUSION