Math in… Surveying

When you hear the word "geometry," what comes to mind? Shapes? Lines? Right angles?

Despite the fact that the phrase literally means "measure the earth," you probably don't think of that right away!

For thousands of years, people have been measuring land in various ways, and many of our earliest geometric concepts were created to help with these measurements. As our math became more advanced, so did our measuring tools.

Theodolites are small telescopes that surveyors use to measure horizontal and vertical angles between points. A surveyor sets up a theodolite at two different locations to measure all relevant angles between them. By knowing at least one distance, surveyors can use trigonometry to calculate the remaining distances.

What are some other methods that can be used to measure distances, angles, or areas?