GEE 141 - Fundamentals of Surveying

Field Work No. 1

PACING

Introduction

Pacing is a reasonably easy and quick method of measuring distance in the field. However, in the presence of
modern convenient instruments used in large–scale measurements – it may be structural or field–pacing has been
quite overlooked by man to be an outdated and inaccurate method in surveying. However, pacing can still be able to
familiarize the area and material that he will be working it, without being too obvious that he is actually doing
measurements.

Thus, pacing is one o the basic things that a beginner surveyor must know about, and every surveyor or civil
engineer must always determine and memorize his own pace factor, even more so that his phone number. If no
available measuring instrument is present, or if the engineer. If no available measuring instrument is present, or if the
engineer only wishes to get a glimpse of his next project’s area of work without catching everyone else’s eyes, the
pacing is the method to go. It also saves time and energy, having to only walk normally on the length that needs to be
measured, while counting mentally.

This experiment is thus conducted to determine the pace factor of surveying students, as well as to use this in the
computation for measuring an unknown.

Objectives

1. To determine individual pace factor.

2. To measure distance by pacing

Instrument and Accessories

Range poles

Steel Tape

Markers

Procedure

1. Determining Pace Factor

a. Select a straight and level course and on both ends establish markers at least 55 meters apart.
Designate these endpoints as A and B.

b. Walk over the course at a natural pace or gait starting with either heel or toe over point A and count the
number of paces to reach point B.
 c. For succeeding trials, walk from B to A, then A to B, until 7 trials are completed, and the number of is
paces recorded accordingly.

d. Tabulate.

e. To compute for the pace factor, get the average of the number of paces and then divide this to the
taped length of course AB.

2. Measuring Distance by Pacing

a. Define or establish the endpoints of another level course whose length is to be determined by pacing.
Designate these endpoints as B and C.

b. For the first trial, walk over the course from B to C at a natural pace and record the number of paces.
Then walk from C to B and again record the number of paces.

c. Repeat the above procedure until all seven trials are completed.

d. After the data is recorded, make an actual taping of the course BC to determine the taped distance.

e. Tabulate.

f. To compute for the paced distance, get the mean of the number of paces for the seven trials performed
on course BC and multiply this by the pace actor previously computed.

g. To get the relative precision, determine the difference between the taped distance of BC and paced
distance of BC. Then, divide the difference by the taped distance and reduce the numerator to unity to
determine the relative precision.

Data Gathered

Determining Pace Factor

TRIAL LINE TAPED NUMBER OF MEAN NO. OF PACE FACTOR

DISTANCE PACES PACES

7
Measuring Distance by Pacing

TRIAL LINE NUMBER OF MEAN PACED TAPED RELATIVE

PACES DISTANCE DISTANCE PRECISION

VI. Discussion

VII. Conclusion