Intersections Between Bearings and Distances [0:30]

“Intersections” can mean many things in surveying. In this course, we intend it to mean determining the location of where two straight lines cross. The known information is the location of the lines’ starting or ending points and either the direction (bearing or azimuth) or length of the line. The location of the lines may be done by using coordinates or by using other geometric attributes to relate the positions of the two lines. Note that many times the intersection between one or two circular curves is desired, but the problem can be reduced to straight lines by considering the radius of each curve involved. In surveying parlance, these types of intersections are referred to as: “bearing-bearing,” “bearing-distance,” and “distance-distance.” A special case is also covered in this course: the determination of the perpendicular offset distance from a point to a line. These methods all involve an understanding of the law of sines and the law of cosines and other basic trigonometric and geometric concepts. Running time 30 minutes.