Traverse adjustment

A traverse that fails its precision specification, and what to do about it

A four-sided traverse closes at 1:2,538 against a 1:10,000 requirement. The direction of the closure line points straight at the course carrying the blunder, which is remeasured and the traverse recomputed.

Apply· about 28 minutes by hand· 5 steps

Given

  • A closed-loop boundary traverse P-Q-R-S-P. Angles have already been adjusted and converted to bearings.
  • P-Q N 78°15′00″ E 512.98 ft
  • Q-R S 15°40′00″ E 399.82 ft
  • R-S S 77°50′00″ W 532.83 ft
  • S-P N 12°55′00″ W 402.84 ft
  • Station P is held at N 3000.00, E 4000.00.
  • The contract requires 1:10,000 linear precision.
  • The site is on a hillside; courses Q-R and R-S were measured with a hand-held tape over broken ground.

Required

  • The linear misclosure and the precision as computed.
  • Whether the traverse meets its specification.
  • The most likely source of the error, identified from the closure itself.
  • The recomputed traverse after the suspect course is remeasured at 531.96 ft.

Work it through yourself before reading on - the solution below shows every step, so there is no way to skim it without giving the answer away.

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