Geodesy ALL Flashcards
(215 cards)
__________ thought that the earth is a flat disk supporting a hemispherical sky
a. Homer
b. Pythagoras
c. Aristotle
d. Eratosthenes
a. Homer
__________ suggested that the earth is a spherical shape on the basis that the sphere
was considered a perfect shape and not from observations.
a. Homer
b. Pythagoras
c. Aristotle
d. Eratosthenes
b. Pythagoras
__________ gave arguments that would support the hypothesis that the earth must be
spherical in shape. Reasons mentioned are as follows:
i. Changing horizons as one travels in various directions.
ii. Round shadow of the earth that was observed in lunar eclipses.
iii. The observation of a ship at sea where more (or less) of the ship is seen as the
ship approaches (or goes away)
a. Homer
b. Pythagoras
c. Aristotle
d. Eratosthenes
c. Aristotle
The first attempt at a precise determination of the size of the earth is ascribed to
__________ of Egypt. The developments in Egypt were a natural follow up to the
developments made in surveying for the purpose of property location.
a. Homer
b. Pythagoras
c. Aristotle
d. Eratosthenes
d. Eratosthenes
In the 17th Century, __________ carried out measurements along a meridian in the
Netherlands. For the first time for this purpose, he used a triangulation procedure with
one-minute precision. Combining this measurement with astronomic latitude made at the
endpoints of the meridian arc, he determined the size of the spherical earth.
a. Richer
b. Snellius
c. Picard
d. Cassini
b. Snellius
In 1666, the Académie Royale des Science was established to carry out measurements
for the preparation of the accurate map of France and the determination of the size of
the earth. The computations made from these measurements indicated that the length of
the meridian arc was smaller towards the poles. It implied that the earth is __________
in shape.
a. oblate
b. prolate
c. spherical
d. irregular
b. prolate
__________, in considering his attraction theory, postulated that the rotating earth
should be flattened in the __________. This would imply that as one travels towards the
equator we go farther from the center of the earth.
a. Bouguer, equator
b. Bouguer, poles
c. Newton, equator
d. Newton, poles
d. Newton, poles
________ observed that pendulum clocks that kept good time in Paris lose 2 ½
minutes per day when brought to Cayenne, Guiana, near the equator in South America.
This indicates that the earth is flattened at the poles.
a. Richer
b. Snellius
c. Picard
d. Cassini
a. Richer
In the 1730s, the Académie Royale des Science had two geodetic survey missions. One
expedition was sent to Peru (now Ecuador at a latitude of about 1-5 degrees under the
direction of Godin, La Condamine and Bouguer. The second expedition was sent to
Lapland (at a latitude of about 66.3 degrees) under the direction of Maupertuis. The
result of these measurements indicated that the length of 1 degree of meridian was
greater in the __________ regions than the __________ regions; indicating that the
earth can be represented by an ellipsoid slightly flattened at the poles.
a. polar; equatorial
b. equatorial; polar
c. tropics; polar
d. equatorial; tropics
a. polar; equatorial
A second of latitude near the equator bears what relationship to a second of arc near the
pole?
a. A second of latitude near the poles is approximately a foot longer than a second
of latitude near the equator
b. A second of latitude has the same length regardless of its distance from the
equator.
c. A second of latitude near the poles is approximately a foot shorter than a second
of latitude near the equator
d. Each second of latitude north of the equator grows progressively shorter until it
reaches a point at the pole.
a. A second of latitude near the poles is approximately a foot longer than a second
of latitude near the equator
C is equal to:
a. √(𝑎 − 𝑏)
b. √(𝑏 − 𝑎)
c. √(𝑎^2 + 𝑏^2)
d. √(𝑎^2 − 𝑏^2)
d. √(𝑎^2 − 𝑏^2)
__________ is a measure of the compression of a circle or sphere along a diameter to
form an ellipse or an ellipsoid of revolution (spheroid) respectively. Other terms used are
ellipticity, or oblateness.
a. Eccentricity
b. Linear eccentricity
c. Flattening
d. Angular eccentricity
c. Flattening
Polar flattening (f) is defined as:
a. (𝑎 − 𝑏)/𝑎
b. (𝑎^2 − 𝑏^2)/𝑎^2
c. (𝑎^2 − 𝑏^2)/𝑏^2
d. 1 −𝑎/b
a. (𝑎 − 𝑏)/𝑎
The angular eccentricity (𝛼) is the angle at P1 between the minor and a line drawn from
P1, to either F1 or F2. Which of the following equations define 𝛼
a. 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 = 𝑏/𝑎= 1 − 𝑓
b. 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛼 = 𝑒′
c. 𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛼 = 𝑒
d. All of the above
a. 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 = 𝑏/𝑎= 1 − 𝑓
The linear eccentricity (E) is defined as:
a. E = ae
b. E = af
c. E = ae’
d. E = ef
a. E = ae
Which of the following equations are true?
a. 𝑒^2 = 1 −𝑏^2/𝑎^2
b. 𝑏/𝑎= 1 − 𝑓
c. 𝑒^2 = 2𝑓 − 𝑓^2
d. All of the above
d. All of the above
Which of the following define the size of an ellipse?
a. Semi-major axis length (a)
b. Flattening (f)
c. First eccentricity (e)
d. Second eccentricity (e’)
a. Semi-major axis length (a)
The value 6,378,206.4 m is the semi-major axis of the __________ ellipsoid.
a. Clarke (1880)
b. Clarke (1866)
c. World Geodetic System (1984), WGS84
d. Geodetic Reference System (1980), GRS80
b. Clarke (1866)
Which of the following terms describes a great circle on which every point is equidistant
from the north and south pole?
a. prime meridian
b. international date line
c. tropic of Capricorn
d. terrestrial equator
d. terrestrial equator
Which of the following statements correctly describes properties of the geographical
coordinate known as latitude?
a. Latitude is measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds north or south of the
equator
b. Every position on earth has a unique latitude, which is unlike the latitude of any
other position on the earth
c. A parallel of latitude is a great circle on the surface of the earth
d. All of the above are true
a. Latitude is measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds north or south of the
equator
Which of the following statements correctly describes the properties of the geographical
coordinate known as longitude?
a. Each meridian of longitude lies in the plane of a great circle
b. The distance along a parallel of latitude trough a degree of longitude grows
smaller as the latitude approaches 90°.
c. 15° of longitude equals one mean solar hour.
d. All of the above are true
d. All of the above are true
The __________ latitude of a point P is the angle at the origin and in the meridian plane
from the equator to the radial line through P.
a. geocentric
b. geodetic
c. reduced or parametric
d. Isometric
a. geocentric
The __________ latitude of a point P is defined as the angle at the origin and in the
meridian from the equator to the radial line that intersects the projection of P, along a
perpendicular to the equator, at a sphere of radius 𝑣 = √𝐸2 + 𝑢
2.
a. geocentric
b. geodetic
c. reduced or parametric
d. Isometric
c. reduced or parametric
The __________ latitude of a point P is the angle from the meridian plane from the
equator to the line through P that is also perpendicular to the ellipsoid.
a. geocentric
b. geodetic
c. reduced or parametric
d. Isometric
b. geodetic