ELEMENTARY SURVEYING FIELD

MANUAL

FIELD WORK NO. 4

DETERMINING THE AREA OF A POLYGONAL
FIELD USING ONLY THE TAPE
CE120-0F / A1

SUBMITTED BY:
NAME:

STUDENT NO.:

GROUP NO. 4
DATE OF FIELD WORK: AUGUST 7, 2014
DATE OF SUBMITTION: AUGUST 14, 2014
CHIEF OF PARTY:

SUBMITTED TO:
PROFESSOR: ENGR. CERVANTES

GRADE

FIELD WORK NO. 4 DETERMING THE AREA OF A POLYGONAL FIELD USING ONLY THE TAPE

FINAL DATE SHEET

FIELD WORK 4

DETERMINING THE AREA OF A POLYGONAL FIELD

DATE: AUGUST 7, 2014

TIME: 8:30AM 12:00PM
WEATHER: SUNNY

GROUP NO.: 4
LOCATION: MAPUA CAMPUS
PROFESSOR: ENGR. CERVANTES

A. 1ST METHOD: BY BASE AND ALTITUDE METHOD

TRIANGLE
1
2
3

BASE
5.2 m
5.2 m
6.36 m

ALTITUDE
2.2 m
4.87 m
2.71 m
TOTAL

AREA
5.72 m2
12.662 m2
8.618 m2
27 m2

B. COMPUTATIONS:

ATRIANGLE1 =
ATRIANGLE1 =

1
2
1
2

bh

Total Area = ATRIANGLE1 + ATRIANGLE2 +

ATRIANGLE3

(5.2 m) (2.2 m)

Total Area = (5.72 m2) + (12.662 m2) +

(8.618 m2)
Total Area = 27 m2

ATRIANGLE1 = 5.72 m2

C. 2ND METHOD: BY TWO SIDES AND THE INCLUDED ANGLE

TRIANGLE
1
2
3

ANGLE
in degrees
98.713
51.572
52.208

SIDES
a
3.5 m
5.2 m
3.5 m

AREA
b
3.3 m
6.36 m
6.36 m
TOTAL

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5.708 m2
12.954 m2
8.795 m2
27.457 m2

FIELD WORK NO. 4 DETERMING THE AREA OF A POLYGONAL FIELD USING ONLY THE TAPE

D. COMPUTATIONS:
ATRIANGLE1 =
ATRIANGLE1 =
(98.713)

1
2
1
2

ab sin

Total Area = ATRIANGLE1 + ATRIANGLE2 +

ATRIANGLE3

(3.5 m) (3.3 m) sin

Total Area = (5.708 m2) + (12.954 m2) +

(8.795 m2)
Total Area = 27.457 m2

ATRIANGLE1 = 5.708 m2

E. 3RD METHOD: BY THREE SIDES (HERONS FORMULA)

TRIANGLE

1
2
3

SIDES
a
3.5 m
5.2 m
6.36 m

b
5.3 m
4.83 m
3.5 m

c
3.2 m
6.36 m
4.87 m

F. COMPUTATIONS:
ATRIANGLE1 =

s s a s b (s c)

ATRIANGLE1 =

6 6 3.5 6 5.3 (6 3.2)

ATRIANGLE1 = 5.62 m2

Total Area = ATRIANGLE1 + ATRIANGLE2 +

ATRIANGLE3
Total Area = (5.62 m2) + (12.311 m2) +
(8.448 m2)
Total Area = 26.451 m2

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HALF
PARAMETER
s
6m
8.195 m
7.365 m
TOTAL

AREA
5.62 m2
12.311 m2
8.448 m2
26.451 m2

FIELD WORK NO. 4 DETERMING THE AREA OF A POLYGONAL FIELD USING ONLY THE TAPE

G. SKETCH

Measuring a side of the polygonal field.

Drawing a line from a formed triangle for determining the angle included.

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FIELD WORK NO. 4 DETERMING THE AREA OF A POLYGONAL FIELD USING ONLY THE TAPE

DESCRIPTION
Irregular polygon is a polygon whose sides are not all the same length or whose
interior angles do not all have the same measure. Unlike a regular polygon, unless you
know the coordinates of the vertices, there is no easy formula for the area of an
irregular polygon. Each side could be a different length, and each interior angle could be
different. It could also be either convex or concave.
So how to determine the area of an irregular polygon? One approach is to break
the shape up into pieces that you can solve - usually triangles, since there are many
ways to calculate the area of triangles. Exactly how you do it depends on what you are
given to start. Since this is highly variable there is no easy rule for how to do it. The
examples below give you some basic approaches to try.
1. Break into triangles, then add
In the figure on the right, the polygon can be broken up into triangles by drawing
all the diagonals from one of the vertices. If you know enough sides and angles to find
the area of each, then you can simply add them up to find the total. Do not be afraid to
draw extra lines anywhere if they will help find shapes you can solve.

2. Find 'missing' triangles, then subtract

In the figure on the left, the overall shape is a regular hexagon, but there is a
triangular piece missing. We know how to find the area of a regular polygon so we just
subtract the area of the 'missing' triangle created by drawing the red line.

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FIELD WORK NO. 4 DETERMING THE AREA OF A POLYGONAL FIELD USING ONLY THE TAPE

3. Consider other shapes

In the figure on the right, the shape is an irregular hexagon, but it has a
symmetry that lets us break it into two parallelograms by drawing the red dotted line.
We know how to find the area of a parallelogram so we just find the area of each one
and add them together. As you can see, there an infinite number of ways to break down
the shape into pieces that are easier to manage. You then add or subtract the areas of
the pieces. Exactly how you do it comes down to personal preference and what you are
given to start.

4. If you know the coordinates of the vertices

If you know the x,y coordinates of the vertices (corners) of the shape, there is a method
for finding the area directly. This works for all polygon types (regular, irregular, convex,
concave). This method will produce the wrong answer for self-intersecting polygons,

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FIELD WORK NO. 4 DETERMING THE AREA OF A POLYGONAL FIELD USING ONLY THE TAPE

where one side crosses over another, as shown on the right. It will work correctly
however for triangles, regular and irregular polygons, convex or concave polygons.

The area is then given by the formula,

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FIELD WORK NO. 4 DETERMING THE AREA OF A POLYGONAL FIELD USING ONLY THE TAPE

CONCLUSION
On this field work, we tried to determine the area of a polygonal field using the
tape only by dividing the area into triangles and using different ways in getting the area.
Based on the data gathered, I observed that the area acquired from the different
methods were different from each other. Although these data are distinct from one
another, they only differ from small amount. The second method which is using two
sides of a triangle and an included angle yielded the largest area while the third method
which is using the three sides of a triangle yielded the smallest area.
According from the lecture being discussed, these methods should have yielded
the same area. The common sources of error on this field work are the inaccurate
reading of measurements and human errors. Human errors include the reading of
measurements of the sides, included angle, and diagonal of the polygonal field even if
the measuring tape is not totally perpendicular to the ground.
It is recommended to have patience in doing the field work because this field
work has so much part and a lot to be done. Also check first if the measuring tape is
completely perpendicular to the ground before recording the measurement to lessen the
error that might be acquired. Using a plumb bob is also recommended to see if the
measuring tape is perpendicular to the ground. Follow the instructions on the manual
carefully to avoid errors.

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