Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

1. The following staff readings were observed successively with a level. The instrument has been
shifted after the second and fifth reading: 0.675, 1.230, 0.750, 2.565, 2.225, 1.935, 1.835, and
3.220. The first reading was with staff held on benchmark of RL 100.000 m. Enter the readings in
a page of level book and calculate the RL of all points. Apply arithmetic checks. Use plane of
collimation method.
Solution: It is carried out as shown in Table

2. Reduce the levels in example 1 by rise and fall method.

Solution: It is carried out as shown in Table

3. The following consecutive readings were taken with a level on a sloping ground at a
common interval of 20 m. 0.600, 1.235, 1.860, 2.575, 0.235, 0.915, 1.935 and 2.870. The
reduced level of the first point was 192.125 m. Rule out a page of level book and enter
the above readings. Calculate the reduced levels of points. Apply the check.
Solution: Table shows entries in typical page of level book and method of reducing the
levels

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Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

4. A page of level book is reproduced below in which some readings marked as (x), are
missing. Complete the page with all arithmetic checks.

Solution:
The computations of the missing values are explained below.
B.S.4 – I.S.5 = f5, B.S.4 = f5 + I.S.5 = – 0.010 + 2.440 = 2.430
B.S.9 – F.S.10 = f10, B.S.9 = f10 + F.S.10 = – 0.805 + 1.525 = 0.720
B.S.1 + B.S.2 + B.S.4 + B.S.6 + B.S.7 + B.S.9 = ΣB.S.
3.150 + 1.770 + 2.430 + B.S.6 + 1.185 + 0.720 = 12.055
B.S.6 = 12.055 – 9.255 = 2.800

B.S.1 – F.S.2 = f2, F.S.2 = B.S.1 – f2 = 3.150 – (–0.700) = 3.850

I.S.5 – F.S.6 = r6, F.S.6 = I.S.5 – r6 = 2.440 – 1.100 = 1.340
B.S.2 – I.S.3 = 1.770 – 2.200 = – 0.430 = 0.430 (fall) = f3
I.S.3 – F.S.4 = 2.200 – 1.850 = 0.350 = r4
B.S.6 – F.S.7 = 2.800 – 2.010 = 0.790 = r7
B.S.7 – I.S.8 = 1.185 – (– 2.735) = 3.920 = r8
For the computation of reduced levels the given reduced level of point 7 is to be used. For
the points 1 to 6, the computations are done from points 6 to 1, upwards in the table and for
points 8 to 10, downwards in the table.
h6 = h7 – r7 = 222.200 – 0.790 = 221.410 m
h5 = h6 – r6 = 221.410 – 1.100 = 220.310 m
h4 = h5 + f5 = 220.310 + 0.010 = 220.320 m
h3 = h4 – r4 = 220.320 – 0.350 = 219.970 m
h2 = h3 + f3 = 219.970 + 0.430 = 220.400 m
h1 = h2 + f2 = 220.400 + 0.700 = 221.100 m
h8 = h7 + r8 = 222.200 + 3.920 = 226.120 m
h9 = h8 – f9 = 226.120 – 4.420 = 221.700 m
h10 = h9 – f10 = 221.700 – 0.805 = 220.895 m

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Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

The computed missing values and the arithmetic check are given Table

5. The following figure was extracted from a level field book, some of the entries being
illegible owing to exposure to rain. Insert the missing figures and check your results.
Rebook all the figures by the rise and fall method.

Solution:-

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Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

6. During a construction work, the bottom of a R.C. of A was taken as a temporary B.M.
(R.L. 63.120). The following notes were recorded.

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Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

7. Inverted sights at B, C and D to the underside of a structure. It is obvious from the

drawing that the levels of these points are obtained by simply adding the staff readings to
the HPC to give B = 65.0, C = 63.0 and D = 65.0; E is obtained in the usual way and
equals 59.5.However, the problem of inverted sights is completely eliminated if one
simply treats them as negative quantities.

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Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

In the checks, inverted sights are treated as negative quantities; for example check for IS in HPC
method gives:
252.5 = (62.0 × 4.0) − (−7.0 + 2.5)= (248.0) − (−4.5) = 248.0 + 4.5 = 252.5

The misclosure cannot be ignored and the error must be distributed among the points concerned.
In the case of a leveling circuit, a simple method of distribution is to allocate the error in
proportion to the distance levelled. For instance, consider a levelling circuit commencing from a
BM at A, to establish other BMs at B, C, D and E for which the heights have been computed
without taking the misclosure into account. On completing the circuit the observed value for the
BM at A is 20.018 m compared, with its known and hence starting value of 20.000 m, so the
misclosure is 0.018 m. The distance leveled is 5.7 km. Considering the purpose of the work, the
terrain and observational conditions, it is decided to adopt a value for m of 12 mm. Hence the
acceptable misclosure is 12(5.7)12= 29 mm, so the leveling is acceptable. The difference in
heights is corrected by (0.018/5.7) × distance in kilometers travelled. Therefore correction to AB
= −0.005 m, to BC = −0.002 m, to CD = −0.003 m, to DE = −0.006 m and to EA = −0.002 m.
The values of the BMs will then be B = 28.561 m, C = 35.003 m, D = 30.640 m, E = 22.829 m
and A = 20.000 m. In many instances, a closing loop with known distances is not the method
used and each reduced level is adjusted in proportion to the cumulative number of set-ups to that
point from the start. Consider the table below which shows the observations for a short section of
levelling between two bench marks of known height:

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Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

(1) There are four set-ups, and therefore E = 5(4)1/2= 0.010 m. As the misclosure is only 0.008 m,
the levelling is acceptable.
(2) The correction per set-up is (0.008/4) = −0.002 m and is cumulative as shown in the table.

8. A page of a level book was defaced so that the only legible figures

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Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

9. It was required to find the elevation of two points P and Q and a line of level was run
from P to Q. the leveling was then continued to a bench mark of 83.500,the readings
obtained being as shown below. Obtain the R.L. of P and Q.

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Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

Reciprocal Leveling
10. Reciprocal levelling was conducted across a wide river to determine the difference in
level of points A and B, A situated on one bank of the river and B situated on the other. The
following results on the staff held vertically at A and B from level stations 1 and 2,
respectively, were obtained. The level station 1 was near to A and station 2 was near to B.

Instrument Staff reading on

at
A B

1 1.485 1.725

2 1.190 1.415
(a) If the reduced level of B is 55.18 m above the datum, what is the reduced level of A?
(b) Assuming that the atmospheric conditions remain unchanged during the two sets of the
observations, calculate (i) the combined curvature and refraction correction if the distance AB is
315 m, and (ii) the collimation error.

Solution:
To eliminate the errors due to collimation, curvature of the earth and atmospheric refraction over
long sights, the reciprocal levelling is performed.
From the given data, we have
a1 = 1.485 m, a2 = 1.725 m
b1 = 1.190 m, b2 = 1.415 m
The difference in level between A and B is given by

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Examples on Vertical Distance Measurement

11. Reciprocal levelling was conducted with a dumpy level and the following readings
were recorded.

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