LAB EXERCISE NO.

PROBLEM: DETERMINING AREA OF A RECTILINEAR

FIELD BY TAPE

OBJECTIVES: a. To learn how to measure horizontal angles with tape.

b. To determine the area of a rectilinear field with tape.

A. INSTRUMENTS & ACCESSORIES:

30m 100-ft measuring tape, range poles, and chalk or marking crayons

B. PROCEDURE:
1.Establish the corners of the assigned field and also establish within the field a
centrally-located point.
2. Subdivide the field into a convenient series of connected triangles (refer to
accompanying figure). Use pegs, hubs, or pins to mark the vertices of each triangle. Call
these points A, B, C, and etc.

3. From the centrally-located point, measure distances to each point defining the
corners or vertices of each triangle. Call these distances 𝑑 , 𝑑 , and etc.
4.Refer to the accompanying sample tabulation for the recording of observed field
data.
 C
B
A2

A1
A3
A
A5
A4
D

SIDES
TRIANGLE S AREA
1ST 2ND 3RD
AOB
BOC
COD
EOD
EOF
AOF
TOTAL

C. COMPUTATIONS:

1. Computing the area using Heron’s Formula

The S is the sum of all points divide by 2.

A B C
S
2
 The area is the product of all answers in the difference of S and points

A = S (S - A)(S - B)(S - C)

AT = total area of the field, and 𝐴 , 𝐴 ,and etc. are areas of individual triangles

AT = A1 + A2 + A3

D. REMARKS, HINTS & PRECAUTIONS:

1. Determining areas of rectilinear fields by tape is a slow process and is not

advisable when large areas are involved.
2. This method of field survey was widely used before instruments for measuring
angles were built.
3. The accuracy of the values obtained by this procedure is dependent on the angle,
on the care with which the points are set on line, and on the accuracy of the
measured lengths.
4. Experience will show that with reasonable care the value of an angle determined
by tape measurements would agree with the value obtained with a transit within
one to three minutes.
5. All the distances from the centrally-located point of the field to the different
corners should be measures twice and the mean recorded as its actual length.