Chapter (2)

Angular Measurement by Theodolite

Introduction
Surveying and navigation are often relying on the measurement of two phenomena to determine
position, distance, and direction or bearing. Horizontal and vertical angles are fundamental
measurements in surveying. The vertical angle is used in obtaining the elevation of points and in
the reduction of slant distance to the horizontal. The horizontal angle is used primarily to obtain
direction to a survey control point, or to topographic detail points, or to points to be set out.

Angle measurement is a fundamental part of surveying field observations, as the combination of a

direction and a distance gives a polar vector to a point and hence a unique location of that point in
space.
The instruments that have been developed to facilitate angle (or direction) measurement are the
magnetic compass, the sextant, and the theodolite.

First: The magnetic compass

The magnetic compass is the most familiar compass type. It functions as a

pointer to "magnetic north", the local magnetic meridian because the
magnetized needle at its heart aligns itself with the horizontal component of
the Earth's magnetic field. When the compass is held level, the needle turns
until, after a few seconds to allow oscillations to die out, it settles into its
equilibrium orientation
This shown compass can either be used as a hand instrument or mounted on a
tripod; and is very useful in a situation where rough surveys are needed, i.e.,
where the accuracy of the survey is not the main consideration but the speed.

Second: The sextant

A sextant is a doubly reflecting navigation instrument used to

measure the angle between any two visible objects. The
primary use of a sextant is to determine the angle between an
astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of
celestial navigation. The determination of this angle, the
altitude, is known as sighting (or shooting) the object or taking
a sight. The angle, and the time when it was measured, can be
used to calculate a position line on a nautical or aeronautical
chart. A sextant can measure angles between objects for a
position on a chart. A sextant can also be used to measure the
lunar distance between the moon and another celestial object
(such as a star or planet) to determine Greenwich Mean Time
and hence longitude.
 Chapter (2)

The Digital Sextant

The Digital Sextant gives a rapid identification of your location, and also, a
reliable backup in case of GPS malfunction.
The advantages of the Digital Sextant instrument
• Standalone device. No external systems or sources are required for
calculations.
• Fixes the position of the ship quickly (within 1 second after sighting)
Easy to operate (no training required) whether stationary or moving
Minimizes the attendant risk of operator errors.
• Each reading is stored and can be printed via a computer connection.

Third: The Theodolite

A theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes.
Theodolites are used mainly for surveying applications and have been adapted for specialized
purposes in fields like meteorology and rocket launch technology. A theodolite is more precise
than magnetic compass. Magnetic compass measures the angle up to accuracy of 30\. However, a
vernier theodolite measures the angles up to accuracy of 1\\, 10\\..
Types of Theodolites
There are two different kinds of theodolites: digital and
non-digital. Non digital theodolites are rarely used
anymore. Digital theodolites consist of a telescope that is
mounted on a base, as well as an electronic readout screen
that is used to display horizontal and vertical angles.
Digital theodolites are convenient because the digital
readouts take the place of traditional graduated circles and
this creates more accurate readings. It Provides the value
of observation directly in viewing panel.

Uses of Theodolite

Theodolites are robust scientific instruments designed for use in the field. They are used primarily
for the measurement of angular values in a traverse or network between survey marks and are also
used for defining directions of lines of sight.

a) Measurement of horizontal angles

b) Measurement of vertical angles
c) Setting out horizontal angles
d) Setting out the railway curves
e) Levelling
f) Optical distance measurement
g) alignment control in tunnel construction
 Chapter (2)

Main Components of the theodolite

1. Upper Plate:
It is the base on which the standards and vertical circle are placed. For the instrument to be in
correct adjustment it is necessary that the upper plate must be perpendicular to the instrument
vertical axis and parallel to the transit axis.

2. Telescope:
The essential parts of the telescopes are eye-piece, diaphragm with cross hairs, object lens and
arrangements to focus the telescope. The telescope is said to be normal or direct when its vertical
circle is to the left of the observer and the bubble is up. The telescope is said to be inverted when
its vertical circle is to the right of the observer and the bubble is down.

3. Vertical Scale (Circle):

It is mounted within one of the standards with its center co-linear with the trunnion axis. It is used
to measure the angle between the line of sight (collimation axis) of the telescope and the
horizontal; this is known as the vertical angle.
Note that: the side of the instrument where the standard containing the scale is found is referred
to as the face of the instrument:
a) Face left:
When the vertical of the theodolite is on the left of the observer, the position is called face left and
the observation made is called face left observation.
b) Face right:
When the vertical of the theodolite is on the right of the observer, the position is called face right
and the observation made is called face right observation.
By taking the mean of both face readings, the collimation error is eliminated.

4. Vertical Clamp and Tangent Screw:

This allows free transiting of the telescope. When clamped, the telescope can be slowly transited
using vertical tangent screw.

5. The Lower Plate:

It is the base of the whole instrument. It houses the foot screws and the bearing for the vertical
axis. It is rigidly attached to the tripod mounting assembly and does not move.

6. Horizontal Scale (Circle):

- The horizontal circle is a full 3600 scale. It is often placed between the upper and lower
plates with its center co-linear with the vertical axis. It is capable of full independent
rotation about the trunnion axis so that any direction may be arbitrarily set to read zero.
- It is used to define the horizontal direction in which the telescope is sighted. Therefore, a
horizontal angle measurement requires two horizontal scale readings taken by observing
two different targets.
- The difference between these readings will be the horizontal angle subtended by the two
targets at the theodolite station.
-
 Chapter (2)

7. The Upper Horizontal Clamp and Tangent Screw:

Used during a sequence or “round” of horizontal angle measurements.

8. The Lower Horizontal Clamp and Tangent Screw:

These must only be used at the start of horizontal angle measurements to set the first reading to
zero

9. Circle Reading and Optical Micrometer:

Modern instruments usually have one eyepiece for reading both circles. It is usually located on
one of the standards. The vertical and horizontal circles require illumination in order to read them.
This is usually provided by small circular mirrors which can be angled and rotated to reflect
maximum light onto the circles.

10. Optical Plumb

Unlike optical levels, theodolites must be set up over fixed control stations, often defined by
wooden pegs and nails. Positioning of the instrument must be achieved to nail head accuracy.
Modern instruments have an optical plumb to achieve this. It consists of an eyepiece set in the
lower plate. The line of sight through the eyepiece, which is reflected vertically downwards
beneath the instrument by means of a prism, is precisely in line with the vertical axis.
 Chapter (2)

Axes of Theodolite

1) V - Vertical axis (Standing axis)

2) S – Sight axis (Collimation axis)
3) H – horizontal axis (Telescope rotary
axis) (Trunnion axis)
4) L – level axis (axis of the alidade level)

S ⊥ H, L // H, V⊥L, V⊥H

Summary of Errors in Angle & Direction Measurements:

• Instrumental Errors

1)The plane of the horizontal circle should be normal to the vertical axis of rotation.
2)The plane of the vertical circle should be normal to the horizontal transit axis.
3)The vertical axis of rotation should pass through the point from which the graduations of the
horizontal circle radiate.
4)The transit axis of rotation should pass through the point from which the graduations of the
vertical circle radiate.
5)The principal tangent to the plate bubble should be normal to the main axis of rotation.
6)The line of sight should be normal to the transit axis.
7)The transit axis should be normal to the main axis of rotation.
8)When the telescope is horizontal, the vertical circle indices should be horizontal and reading
zero.
9)The main axis of rotation should meet the transit axis at the same point as the line of sight
meets this axis.
10)The line of sight should maintain the same position with change of focus.

• Natural Errors
(1) Wind vibration may require some form of wind shield to be erected to protect the
instrument.
(2)Vertical and lateral refraction of the line of sight is always a problem. Lateral refraction,
particularly in tunnels, can cause excessive error in the horizontal angle. A practical solution
in tunnels is to use zig-zag traverses .
(3) Ensure that the line of sight does not pass near sources of heat such as chimneys or open
fires.
(4)Temperature differentials can cause unequal expansion of the various parts of the
instrument. Sheltering the instrument and tripod by means of a large survey umbrella will
greatly help in this situation.
(5) Avoid tripod settlement by selecting the site carefully being mindful of ground conditions.
If necessary, use pegs to pile the ground on which the tripod feet are set, or use walk boards to
spread the weight of the observer.
 Chapter (2)

• Personal Errors
(1) Careless centring of the instrument over the survey point.
(2) Lightly clamp the horizontal and vertical movement. Hard clamping can affect the pointing
and is unnecessary.
(3) Failure to eliminate parallax and poor focusing on the target can affect accurate pointing. Keep
the observed target near the centre of the field of view.
(4) Incorrect levelling of the altitude bubble, where there is one, will produce vertical angle error.
(5) The plate bubble must also be carefully levelled .
(6) Make quick, decisive observations.
(7) All movement of the theodolite should be done gently whilst movement around the tripod
should be reduced to a minimum.
(8) Do not knock the tripod by tripping. Remove the instrument box, which should be closed, and
all other items to a point at least three meters away from the instrument.

Temporary adjustment

Temporary adjustments are set of operations which are required to be done on the theodolite to
make it ready for taking observations. Temporary adjustments of theodolite include its setting
up, centering, leveling up and elimination of parallax. Therefore, these adjustments can be
achieved in many steps: -
Setting up the Theodolite
• Stand closed tripod on the ground, undo transport strap, loosen lock bolts and lift tripod to
extend the legs evenly and tighten lock bolts
• Place tripod over the setup point, move one leg out from the point about 0.5m and step into
the ground , lift the 2 free tripod legs slightly off the ground while viewing down through
the instrument securing bolt in the center the tripod top plate and place over the setup point,
keeping the top plate of the tripod relatively level
• Secure theodolite on the tripod
• While looking through the optical plummet, slightly lift the 2 free legs and position the
instrument over the setup point.
• Use the 3 adjusting screws on the theodolite so optical plummet is on the setup point, while
viewing the eye level adjust the legs up or down until level, taking care to stand on the leg
being adjusted so it does not pull out of the ground
• Level the theodolite positioning the spirit level first parallel with 2 leveling screws, then
turn 90 degrees and use the third leveling screw to level the spirit level, recheck first
position
• Once level view optical plummet to verify over the setup point
• Loosen the mounting screw to move the plummet over the setup point if necessary and
retighten and recheck the instrument level
 Chapter (2)

Centering

Centering implies that bringing vertical axis of theodolite immediately over station mark. To do
this the following procedure is followed:- First, the approximate centering of the instrument is
done by moving the tripod legs radially or circumferentially as per need of the circumstances. It
may be noted that due to radial movement of the legs, plumb bob gets shifted in the direction of
the movement of the leg without seriously affecting the level of the instrument. On the other
hand, when the legs are moved sideways or circumferentially, the plumb does not shift much but
the level gets affected. Sometimes, the instrument and the tripod have to be moved bodily for
centering. It must be noted that the centering and leveling of instrument is done recursively.
Finally, exact centering is done by using the shifting head of the instrument. During this, first the
screw-clamping ring of the shifting head is loosened, and the upper plate of the shifting head is
slid over the lower one until the plumb bob is exactly over the station mark. After the exact
centering, the screw clamping ring gets tightened.
 Chapter (2)

Levelling the Theodolite

Leveling of an instrument is done to make the

vertical axis of the instrument truly vertical. For
accurate levelling the following steps are strictly
followed: -
There are 3 levelling screws at the base of the
instrument. These should be used with the round
spirit level to obtain a coarse adjustment.
 Chapter (2)

1- Bring one of the level tube parallel to any two of the foot screws, by rotating the upper
part of the instrument.
2- The bubble is brought to the centre of the level tube by rotating both the foot screws either
inward or outward. The bubble moves in the same direction as the left thumb.
3- The bubble of the other level tube is then brought to the centre of the level tube by rotating
the third foot screw either inward or outward. [In step 1 itself, the other plate level will be
parallel to the line joining the third foot screw and the centre of the line joining the
previous two foot screws.]
4- Repeat Step 2 and step 3 in the same quadrant till both the bubble remain central.
5- By rotating the upper part of the instrument through 180°, the level tube is brought parallel
to first two foot screws in reverse order. The bubble will remain in the centre if the
instrument is in permanent adjustment.

Zero the scales

Release clamps lower horizontal clamp and fine adjuster and upper horizontal clamp and fine
adjuster. Align the red mark on the upper part of the theodolite with the white mark on the black
ring and lock the upper horizontal clamp (upper horizontal clamp and fine adjuster). This roughly
sets the theodolite optics to zero on the horizontal scale. Open the mirror and adjust until you see
a bright patch of light falling on the window underneath it. Now if you look through the small
eyepiece, you will see some illuminated scales. A view through the small eyepiece shows the
vertical and horizontal degree scales and the minutes and seconds scale.
Adjust the fine adjuster (minutes and seconds adjuster) so the mark in the right-hand scale is
aligned with 0\00\\. Using the fine adjuster on the upper horizontal clamp (upper horizontal clamp
and fine adjuster) adjust the 0 so the single vertical line which moves with it on the bottom scale
is between the double vertical lines (as above) as near central as possible. Now clamp (upper
horizontal clamp and fine adjuster). Movement now on the bottom plate will move the whole
instrument without changing the reading. From now on clamp (lower horizontal clamp and fine
adjuster), rotate by loosening (upper horizontal clamp and fine adjuster) and read the change. This
completes the horizontal zero adjustment. There is no adjustment for vertical angles. That is
done internally and is correct if the theodolite is properly levelled.

Align on a reference north

All your theodolite measurements are made relative to a reference baseline, which is oriented at 0
degrees. This does not need to be true north, but could be a line to a convenient feature. With the
upper horizontal clamp (upper horizontal clamp and fine adjuster) still on, rotate the theodolite
until the arrow in the upper or lower rough sight is in line with the selected feature. Gently lock
the lower horizontal clamp (lower horizontal clamp and fine adjuster) and, looking through the
main eyepiece (you may need to focus it) use the lower horizontal clamp fine adjuster to line the
vertical lines on the feature.

Focusing
To obtain the clear reading, the image formed by the objective lens should fall in the plane of
diaphragm and the focus of eye-piece should also be at the plane of diaphragm. This is being
 Chapter (2)

carried out by removing parallax by proper focusing of objective and eye-piece. Thus, focusing
operation involves two steps:
• Focusing of eye-piece.
For focusing of the eye piece, point the telescope to the sky or hold a piece of white paper in front
of telescope. Move the eye-piece in and out until a distinct sharp black image of the cross-hairs is
seen. This confirms proper focusing.
• Focusing of object glass.
It is done for each independent observation to bring the image of the object in the plane of cross
hairs. It includes following steps of operation: First, direct the telescope towards the object for
observation. Next, turn the focusing screw until the image of the object appears clear and sharp as
the observer looks through properly focused eye-piece. If focusing has been done properly, there
will be no parallax i.e., there will be no apparent movement of the image relative to the cross hairs
if the observer moves his eye from one side to the other or from top to bottom.

To take a measurement

Unlock the upper horizontal clamp (upper horizontal clamp and fine adjuster). Rotate the
theodolite until the arrow in the upper or lower rough sight points to the feature of interest and
lock the clamp. Look through the main eyepiece (you may need to refocus) and use the upper
horizontal adjuster to align the vertical lines on the feature. To take the reading, you should look
through the small eyepiece. Using the minutes and seconds adjuster (minutes and seconds
adjuster) set the one of the degrees on the horizontal scale so the single vertical line on the bottom
scale is between the double vertical lines under the selected degree. The reading is the degree you
have aligned and the minutes and seconds read from the right hand scale and is the horizontal
angle (in degrees, minutes and seconds) from your reference line. To measure a vertical angle,
unlock the vertical clamp (vertical clamp and fine adjuster .The mirror light source for the scale
can be seen on the left of the picture) and tilt the eyepiece until the feature is aligned on the
horizontal lines. Gently lock the clamp and use the vertical adjuster to make fine adjustments.
Now looking through the small eyepiece, use the minutes and seconds adjuster (minutes and
seconds adjuster) to align one of the degrees on the vertical scale with the double lines just below
it. The reading is the degree you have aligned and the minutes and seconds read from the right
hand scale. This is the angle from the vertical; where vertical is 0 degrees. To complete the
reading, you may now need to measure the distance from the theodolite to that feature.

Errors of Construction and Adjustment

The theodolite is subjected to various errors which are listed below. These errors are caused by
the manufacturing process and by changes in adjustment caused by time and use. There is not
much that we can do regarding errors of construction, but for most applications these can be
ignored as the manufacturers generally meet quite high standards. The errors in our angular
observations caused by the state of calibration of the instrument can be reduced in the field by
using the appropriate procedure, or compensated for in the reduction of the angles. These errors
are:
 Chapter (2)

1)Collimation Error: Horizontal Collimation

The effect of collimation error is like that in a level;

the line of sight produced by the cross hairs is not
parallel with the optical axis of the telescope. Unlike
a level where only horizontal angles are read, in a
theodolite this will cause systematic errors in the
horizontal as well as vertical directions. The image
above shows a cross section through a theodolite
telescope. There are procedures for detecting this error but it is eliminated during the observation
process by observing both face left and face right directions.
Collimation error will cause the line of sight to fall to one side of the telescope axis on one face,
and it will cause the error to fall on the other side on the other face. The mean of these two
observations will mathematically cancel the effect of the error. In effect, most of the common
errors of adjustment and construction can be eliminated by observing angles on both face left and
face right.

➢ The line of collimation is not perpendicular to the trunion axis by a small amount c:

For small angle, we can write the error in

horizontal circle reading:

Z = c sin(90o)/ sin(90o -h)

Z = c sec h.
 Chapter (2)

➢ The trunion axis is not perpendicular to the vertical axis by a small amount i

For small angles we can write the error in horizontal

circle reading:

ei = i tan h.

Testing for Horizontal Collimation Error:

There is a variety of methods that enable surveyors to ascertain if a theodolite has a Collimation
error and allow an error to be corrected.
a) Place a theodolite at point A, on flat ground with 40 meters of space either side of
the instrument. Level the instrument carefully.
b) Transit the telescope (flip the telescope over). Place another spike on this line of
sight, about the same distance away (40 meters).
c) Traverse the instrument, (rotate the alidade of the theodolite through 180o and sight
to point B again.
d) Transit the telescope again. If the line-of-sight dose not intersect point C, then
there is a collimation error.
e) The magnitude of the error is one-quarter the difference between the two marks.
Normally, the crosshairs are moved back by the appropriate amount and the
instrument is re-tested.

2)Plate Level

Plate level error is an error of adjustment that affects

horizontal angles observed to elevated targets. Plate
level error occurs when the theodolite is not levelled
properly, using the plate level bubble. You may also
hear this error referred to as Dis-levellment. While the
vertical reading is 0° no error is shown but once the
telescope raises or lowers, its line of sight does not
follow a true vertical line.
Test: Assume the bubble is not parallel to the horizontal
plate but is in error by angle e. It is set parallel to a pair
of foot screws, levelled approximately, then turned
through 90◦ and levelled again using the third foot screw
only. It is now returned to its former position, accurately
levelled using the pair of foot screws, and will appear as
 Chapter (2)

in figure (a). The instrument is now turned through 180◦ and will appear as in the next figure(b),
i.e. the bubble will move off center by an amount representing twice the error in the instrument
(2e).

Adjustment: The bubble is brought half-way back to the center using the pair of foot screws
which are turned by a strictly equal and opposite amount. The bubble moves in the direction of
the left thumb. This will cause the instrument axis to move through e, thereby making it truly
vertical and, in the event of there being no adjusting tools available; the instrument may be used
at this stage. The bubble will still be off center by an amount proportional to e and should now be
centralized by raising or lowering one end of the bubble using its capstan adjusting screws.

3)Optical Plummet

As shown in Setting up a Theodolite, the axis of the theodolite must pass through the ground
(station position) mark. Theodolites are centered using the optical plummet. The position of the
optical plummet depends upon the type of theodolite being used. In some theodolites the optical
plummet is found above the foot-screws in the alidade. In other theodolites it is found below the
foot-screws. The testing and adjustment of the optical plummet depends on its position in the
theodolite. If the optical plummet is found in the alidade, the testing and adjustment of it is easy.
If it is found in the tribrach, it is a more difficult process.

4)Miscentering

Miscentring is the error caused by the

theodolite not being correctly plumbed over
the reference mark. It is caused by a
combination of operator carelessness and
either the optical plummet or plumb bob. It
affects horizontal angles.
Forced centering or constrained centering
systems are used to control the propagation of
centering error in precise traversing. Such
systems give accuracies in the region of ±0.1−
0.3 mm. The effect of centering errors on the measured horizontal angle (θ) is the shown in
figure. Due to a mis-centering error, the theodolite is established at B\, not the actual station B,
and the angle θ is observed, not θ.

5)Parallax in Telescope

Parallax Error occurs when the cross-hairs of the telescope are not focused cleanly upon the
target. There are two problems caused by parallax in the telescope. The obvious one is that if the
cross hair is not focused correctly then you will not be able to see it at all. The less obvious one is
that if there is some parallax in the telescope (caused by the cross hair not being focused
correctly) then it is possible to look ‘around’ the cross hair. This can be seen during observation
 Chapter (2)

by lifting your head up and down slightly and seeing whether the cross hair moves with respect to
the target. If the hair seems to shift, then there is some residual parallax. The parallax is removed
by focusing the telescope onto a target at infinity and then focusing the cross hair sharply onto the
target.
For an accurate angle reading to be made, the focus point of the telescope needs to coincide with
the reticule. The distance between the focus point of the telescope and the reticule is the parallax.
Failure to eliminate parallax can cause errors of a few tens of seconds.

Measuring Angles Using a Theodolite

a ) Vertical angles
Horizon is parallel to the earth surface, and zenith is perpendicular to the horizon. Vertical angles
are being taken from zenith or horizon, both method are usually supported by modern
instruments.

b ) Horizontal angles
Angle can be measured
• Clockwise (angle to the right) or
• Counterclockwise (angle to the left).
Interior angle is measured inside closed polygon,
Exterior angle is measured outside close polygon.
Sum of interior and exterior angle is 360°
 Chapter (2)

Measurement of Horizontal Angles:

There are three methods of measuring horizontal angles: -

a. Ordinary Method.
b. Repetition Method.
c. Reiteration Method.

1- Ordinary Method.

To measure horizontal angle AOB:-

i) Set up the theodolite at station point O and level it accurately.

ii) Set the vernier A to the zero of the horizontal circle. Tighten the upper
clamp.
iii) Loosen the lower clamp. Turn the instrument and direct the telescope towards A to bisect it
accurately with the use of tangent screw. After bisecting accurately check the reading which must
still read zero. Read the vernier B and record both the readings.
iv) Loosen the upper clamp and turn the telescope clockwise until line of sight bisects point B on
the right-hand side. Then tighten the upper clamp and bisect it accurately by turning its tangent
screw.
v) Read both verniers. The reading of the vernier A, which was initially set at zero gives the value
of the angle AOB directly and that of the other vernier B by deducting 180 0. The mean of the two
vernier readings gives the value of the required angle AOB.
vi) Change the face of the instrument and repeat the whole process. The mean of the two vernier
readings gives the second value of the angle AOB which should be approximately or exactly
equal to the previous value.
vii) The mean of the two values of the angle AOB ,one with face left and the other with face right
,gives the required angle free from all instrumental errors.

Point L R Ave. Angle

A AL AR AAve AOB
Station O
B BL BR BAve
A AL\ AR\ AAve\ BOA

2- Repetition Method.

This method is used for very accurate work. In this method, the same angle is
added several times mechanically and the correct value of the angle is obtained by
dividing the accumulated reading by the No. of repetitions.
The No. of repetitions made usually in this method is six; three with the face left
and three with the face right. In this way, angles can be measured to a finer degree
of accuracy than that obtainable with the least count of the vernier.

To measure the horizontal angle by repetitions: -

 Chapter (2)

i) Set up the theodolite at starting point O and level it accurately.

ii) Measure the horizontal angle AOB.
iii) Loosen the lower clamp and turn the telescope clock – wise until
the object (A) is sighted again. Bisect B accurately by using the upper
tangent screw. The verniers will now read twice the value of the angle
now.
iv) Repeat the process until the angle is repeated the required number of
times (usually 3). Read again both verniers. The final reading after n
repetitions should be approximately n X (angle). Divide the sum by the
number of repetitions and the result thus obtained gives the correct
value of the angle AOB.
v) Change the face of the instrument. Repeat exactly in the same manner and find another value of
the angle AOB. The average of two readings gives the required precise value of the angle AOB.
3- Reiteration Method.

This method is another precise and comparatively less tedious method of measuring horizontal
angles. It is generally preferred when several angles are to be measured at a particular station.
This method consists in measuring several angles successively and finally closing the horizon at
the starting point. The final reading of the vernier A should be the same as its initial reading. …If
not, the discrepancy is equally distributed among all the measured angles.
Procedure:
Suppose it is required to measure the angles AOB, BOD, and COD. Then to measure these angles
by repetition method:
i) Set up the instrument over station point O and level it accurately.
ii) Direct the telescope towards point A which is known as referring object. Bisect it accurately
and check the reading of vernier as 0 or 3600. Loosen the lower clamp and turn the telescope
clockwise to sight point B exactly. Read the verniers again and the mean reading will give the
value of angle AOB.
iii) Similarly bisect C & D successively, find the value of the angle BOD and COD.
iv) Finally close the horizon by sighting towards the referring object (point A).
v) The vernier A should now read 3600. If not note down the error. This error occurs due to a slip.
vi) If the error is small, it is equally distributed among the several angles. If large the readings
should be discarded, and a new set of readings be taken.

Point L R Ave. Angle

A AL AR AAve AOB
B BL BR BAve
Station O D DL DR DAve BOD
C CL CR CAve DOC
A AL\ AR\ AAve\
COA
 Chapter (2)

Measurement of Vertical Angles:

Vertical Angle: A vertical angle is an angle between the inclined line of sight and the horizontal.
It may be an angle of elevation or depression according as the object is above or below the
horizontal plane.
To Measure the Vertical Angle of an object A at a station O:
(i) Set up the theodolite at station point O and level it accurately with reference to the altitude
bubble.
(ii) Set the zero of vertical vernier exactly to the zero of the vertical circle clamp and tangent
screw.
(iii) Bring the bubble of the altitude level in the central position by using clip screw. The line of
sight is thus made horizontal and vernier still reads zero.
(iv) Loosen the vertical circle clamp screw and direct the telescope towards the object A and sight
it exactly by using the vertical circle tangent screw.
(v) Read both verniers on the vertical circle, the mean of the two vernier readings gives the value
of the required angle.
(vi) Change the face of the instrument and repeat the process. The mean of the two vernier
readings gives the second value of the required angle.
(vii) The average of the two values of the angles thus obtained is the required value of the angle
free from instrumental errors.

For measuring Vertical Angle between two points A &B

i) Sight A as before and take the mean of the two vernier readings at the vertical circle. Let it be α
ii) Similarly, sight B and take the mean of the two vernier readings at the vertical circle. Let it be
β
iii) The sum or difference of these dings will give the value of the vertical angle between A and B
according as one of the points is above and the other below the horizontal plane. Or both points
are on the same side of the horizontal plane.