Section 4: Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
Surveying and Levelling
Subtopic: The Theodolite traversing
Question Statement:
Bowditch's rule (compass rule) for balancing a closed theodolite traverse is applied on the assumption that:
Options:
(A) Linear errors are proportional to $\sqrt{l}$ and angular errors are proportional to $1/\sqrt{l}$
(B) Linear measurements and angular measurements are both made with equal precision
(C) Angles are measured much more precisely than lengths
(D) Lengths are measured much more precisely than angles
Answer Key:
A
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
Bowditch's rule assumes that accidental errors in linear measurements are proportional to $\sqrt{l}$ (where $l$ is line length) and angular errors are inversely proportional to $\sqrt{l}$. Consequently, correction to latitude or departure of a line is proportional to the length of that line.