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MEASUREMENT OF HORIZONTAL DISTANCE

The accurate determination of the distance between two points on any surface is one of the basic
operations of plane surveying. There are several methods of determining distance. The choice depends on the
purpose for which the measurement is intended and the required precision.
In surveying the most commonly employed methods of linear measurement include pacing, taping,
and tacheometry.

Distance by Pacing

 Pacing consists of counting the number of steps or paces in a required distance. It also means moving
with measured steps. The relative precision may be 1:200.
 Pace is defined as the length of a step in walking. It may be from heel to heel or toe to toe.
 Stride is equivalent to two paces.
 Pace Factor is the length of one’s pace.

1 Stride
Where:
L PF = Pace factor
(2 paces or double step) PF 
1 Pace M L = Length of Line
M = Mean number of
(Heel to heel) paces

1 Pace

(Toe to toe)
1 Stride

(2 paces or double step)

Sample Problems:

1. A 60 m line XY on a level ground, was paced by a surveying student for the purpose of determining
his pace factor. The number of paces for each trial is as follows: 73, 72, 72.5, 74, 73.5, 72 and 73
paces. Determine his pace factor. If the student then took 112, 111, 112.5, and 113 paces on an
unknown distance AB, what is the length of the line?

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2. In six trials of walking along a 100 meter course, a pacer counted 50, 53, 52, 53 and 50 strides.
Determine the pace factor of the pacer.

Distance by Taping

 Taping consists of stretching a calibrated tape between two points and reading the distance indicated on
the tape.
 Taping may vary from a relative precision of about 1:1000 to 1:25000 or better.

Composition of Taping Party

 Head Tapeman
 Recorder
 Flagman
 Rear Tapeman

Breaking Tape – the procedure in which measurement of short distances are made which are accumulated
to total full tape length.
Slope Taping – taping operation made along the slope of the ground if it is of uniform inclination.

Where:
Terminal h = hor. dist. bet. Initial and
Point terminal point
s = slope distance (length of tape)
d = vertical dist. bet. Initial and
d terminal point
 = vertical angle
Initial 
Point
h

h  s cos  h  s 2  d2

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Sample Problems:

1. A slope distance of 465.82 m is measured between two points with a slope angle of 1235’. What is
the corresponding horizontal distance between the two points?

2. A traverse line was measured in three sections: 295.85 m at a slope 845’, 149.58 m at slope 429’
and 373.43 m at a slope 425’. Determine the corresponding horizontal length of the line.

Corrections in Taping
Taping operation is done to determine an unknown length or for the purpose of laying out a required
specified length. Corrections to taping are applied by the use of the following rules:

Measuring
 When measuring out lengths with a tape that is “too long”, corrections are added.
 When measuring out lengths with a tape that is “too short”, corrections are subtracted.

Laying out
 When laying out lengths with a tape that is “too long”, corrections are subtracted.
 When laying out lengths with a tape that is “too short”, corrections are added.

a. Corrections due to Incorrect Tape Length

Where:
 ML  L’ = corrected length
L'  ML  c   ML = measured/laid-out length
 NL 
c = correction due to incorrect
tape length
NL = nominal length of tape

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Sample Problems:

1. The sides of a rectangular parcel of property were measured and recorded as 249.50 m and 496.85
m. It was determined, however, that the 30-m tape used in measuring was actually 30.05 m long.
Determine the correct area of the property.

2. A steel tape whose nominal length is supposed to be 30-m long was found to be 0.15 m too short
when compared with an invar tape during standardization. If the tape is to be used in laying out a
200m straightway course, determine the actual length to be laid out.

3. A distance measured with a 50m steel tape is recorded as 696.41 m. The tape is known to be 0.015m
too short. What is the correct length of the line?

b. Correction due to Temperature Where:

C t  Tm  Ts L
Ct = Correction due to temperature
 = coefficient of thermal
Expansion
Tm = Temperature during
measurement or laying out
Ts = Temperature during
Standardization
L = measured/laid out/nominal
length

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Sample Problems:

1. A 30-m steel tape is of standard length at 20C. If the coefficient of thermal expansion of steel is
0.0000116/C, determine the distance to be laid out using this tape to establish two points exactly
1234. 56 m apart when the temperature is 33C.

2. A line measured with a 50-m long steel tape was determined to be 645.22 m when the average
temperature during taping was 15.75C. If the tape is of standard length at 20C and the coefficient
of thermal expansion of steel is 0.0000116/C, determine the correct length of the line.

3. A steel tape having a correct length at 22C was used to measure a baseline and the recorded
readings gave the total of 856. 815m. if the average temperature during measurement was 18C,
determine the correct length of the line.

c. Correction due to Pull or Tension Where:

Pm  Ps L
Cp = Correction due to pull or tension
A = Cross-sectional area of the tape
Cp  E = Modulus of Elasticity

AE Pm = Pull during measurement or

laying out
Ps = Pull during Standardization
L = measured/laid out/nominal
Where:
length
A = Cross-sectional area of the tape
W = Weight of tape
 = unit weight/weight density
L = nominal length
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W
A
L
Sample Problems:

1. A 100 m tape is 100 m long at 15 kg, at 25 kg tension, it is used to measure the length of the line.
The measured length is 500 m. The tape is 0.05 cm x 0.50 cm. in cross section. E = 2x10 6 kg/cm2.
Compute the length corrected for tension.

2. A tape is 30 m long having a modulus of elasticity of 2x106 kg/cm2 and area of 0.03 sq. cm under a
pull of 5.5 kg. Compute the correction due to a pull of 4 kg when it is used to measure a distance of
936.42 m.

3. The elongation of a 50 m tape having a cross-sectional area of 0.05 cm2 is 0.0028 m. when it is
applied by a pull of 12 kg. If the modulus of elasticity of the tape is 2x10 6 kg/cm2, compute the
tension required for a standard length of 50 m.

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d. Correction due to Sag

Where:
Cs = Correction due to sag
2 3
wL W L 2 w = weight per unit length
Cs  Cs  W = Weight of unsupported length of

24P 2 or
24P 2 tape
P = Pull during measurement or
laying out
L = Distance between supports

Sample Problems:

1. A 50 m steel tape weighing 0.03kg/m is constantly supported at mid-length and at its end points, and
is used to measure a line with a pull of 8 kg. If the measured length is 2000m, determine the length
of the line corrected for the effect of sag.

2. A 30 m steel tape weighs 1.25 kg is supported at its end points and at the 8 and 22 m marks. If a pull
of 6.5 kg is applied, determine the correction due to sag for a distance of 170 m.

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Exercises:

1. The recorded area of a lot is 9475.3m2 using a 100m tape. It was found out that the tape is 0.04 cm
too long. Determine the correct area of the lot.

2. A rectangular field was measured using a 100 m tape which was actually 10 cm. too short. The
recorded area was 2500 sq m. What is the true area of the field?

3. The observed temperature when the length of tape is 50 m is 29.6C. During measurement, the
temperature recorded is 18.9C and the line is measured to be 1632.48 m., determine the correct
length of the line if coefficient of expansion is 0.0000116/C.

4. A steel tape is 100 m. long at 60C with a pull of 10kg. A line was measured and found to be 510.02m
when the temperature was 65C using the same pull. If the coefficient of expansion is 0.0000065 /C,
what is the correct length of the line?

5. A 50 m tape was used to measure a line and the following data were recorded:

Pull during measurement = 8 kg

Pull during standardization = 5.5 kg
Weight of tape = 0.05 kg/m
Modulus of Elasticity = 2.1x10 6 kg/m3
Cross sectional area of the tape = 0.04 cm2
Measured distance between two points = 488.650 m.

Find the corrected horizontal distance between the two points.

6. A baseline was measured using a 100 m tape which is standardized at a standard pull of 10kg. The
recorded distance was found out to be 430.60 m. At the time of measurement the pull exerted was 16
kg. Determine the true length of the base if the weight of one cubic cm of steel is 7.86 gr. weight of
tape is 2.67 kg, E = 2x106 kg/cm2.

7. A 100 m tape is suspended at the ends under a pull of 12 kg. It is also supported at 20 m and 75 m
marks. If the tape weighs 2.4 kg, what is the total correction due to sag?

8. A 30 m steel tape weighing 0.7 kg is used to measure a distance recorded as 985.423 m over level
terrain with the tape supported at the two ends and 5 kg of tension. Calculate the correction due to
sag for this distance and determine the correct length of the line.

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Combined Corrections

In actual practice, each of the corrections to taping, based on the length recorded are combined as a
single net correction per tape length. The combined correction per tape length can be used as long as
conditions during taping remain constant.

Sample Problems:

1. A 30-m steel tape is of standard length under a pull of 6-kg and temperature of 20ºC when supported
throughout its entire length. The tape weighs 0.04 kg/m and has a cross sectional area of 0.03 cm 2.
This tape was used to measure a distance that was recorded to be 652.48 m at a temperature of 30ºC
and a constant pull of 8-kg with the tape supported only at its end points. Compute the correct length
of the line. Modulus of elasticity of the tape is 2x106 kg/cm2 and coefficient of thermal expansion of
steel is 11.6x10-6/ºC.

2. A steel tape is 100-m long at a temperature of 20ºC and a pull of 10 kg. It was used to measure a
distance 462.95-m at a temperature of 32ºC with applied pull of 15-kg. with the tape supported at
both ends. Coefficient of thermal expansion is 11.6x10-6/ºC and a modulus of elasticity of 2x106kg/m
with a cross-sectional area of 0.06-cm2. Compute the true length of the line.

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Normal Tension
The pull or tension which, when applied to a tape suspended in the air, equalizes the correction due
to pull and sag is known as normal tension.
The formula for normal tension is derived by equating the correction due to pull and sag.

𝐶𝑝 = 𝐶𝑠

The equation for normal tension is solved by trial and error. The normal tension computed only makes
the tape its true length and it does not compensate all of the cumulative errors. Normal tension is not
commonly used because it may be too large for convenient application and changes with temperature
variations.

Sample problems:

1. Determine the tension of which the effect of sag will be eliminated by the elongation of the tape due
to increased tension. Assume a 100-ft tape having a cross sectional area of 0.005 in2 weighing 1.75
lbs with an elastic modulus of 29,000,000 psi, standardized at a pull of 12 lbs, and supported at both
ends.

2. A 50-m steel tape weighing 0.95-kg has a cross sectional area of 0.04 cm2 and modulus of elasticity of
2.10x106 kg/cm2. If the standard pull is 5-kg, determine the normal tension to eliminate the effect of
sag.

ELEMENTARY SURVEYING anj©revadelo

Measurement of Horizontal Distance