The Great Newlands Trigonometrical Survey

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Information

Created By: Jonny Huck

Currently Used By: Jonny Huck

Location: Newlands Valley (requires transport to Little Town)

Instructions

Get te group on a minibus and transport them to the car park at Little Town.

Give out the equipment and set off along the path towards Newlands Valley.

About half way there, stop where you can see the white building and there is space amongst the bracken to set up a tripod. Give them a bit of chat about Triangulation, you can use the Principal Triangulation image from Wikipedia, and the Lancashire Triangulation map from the map library to help illustrate this. Show them how to:

  • Set up the tripod
  • mount the automatic level (don't level the automatic level, as we are using it as a theodolite)
  • Use a mirror compass
  • set it so that the bezel reads '0' when the lens is pointing North (easier to give them a direction to a fixed object that they can fix in the viewfinder, then rotate the bezel/level to set it)
  • use the GPS to work out where they are
  • use the app to get a location

Use the highest point on the white building to get a the direction

Walk them on to the foot bridge, and get them to work out where they are, including orientating the map. Explain about coordinates and how to locate points on the map (which has a 100m grid).

Explain the task (to plot the course of the stream, they must make a plan, go and do it, and be back at the footbridge by 4:30). Split them into two 'teams' if there are 9 or more students. Note that the students can only access the river bank on the East side, so tell them to map this, and to be careful around the large river cliff. They must have a clear plan, including how far should the staff(s) move each time? (100m = c. 70 double paces...) and who is doing which job (operating level, staff, app, marking the result onto the map, radio controller).

They should set up their 'base stations' each side of the slag heap (so they see hear each other) - though the further apart the better! Walk straight up to the slag, don't loop round the path. Make sure that you are up there to make sure that they do it right - if they mess up the orientation, then the results will be miles off!

When they return, compare their effort to the real map; then ask them to measure it (using compass string and grid squares) - lead into a discussion about the Coastline Paradox, and the fact that you cannot really measure the 'length' of a river - it is a function of the scale (in this case, how big the gaps between readings were).

Leave 30 mins to walk back to the van (maybe 40 mins for morning sessions).

Equipment

Students (per team, comprising two 'bases', one or two staffs and a controller):

  • Mirror Compass x 2
  • Surveying Staff x 1-2
  • Automatic level & Tripod x 2
  • Walkie Talkie x 4
  • Android mobile phone with waterproof case x 1 (with the project app (to handle the triangulation maths)
  • Pencil x 1 (one each)
  • A4 Clip board x 1 (one each)
  • Student Handout x 1

Staff require:

Handouts

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