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Activity 4.2 Application of Trigonomet
A clinometer is a fairly simple instrument which is used to measure the angle of a slope. In other
8 clinometer is a mathematical instrument sextant for measuring the angle of elevation or depression
an object. 2
Objective
Te make a climometer and use it to measure the height of an
object.
Pre-requisite Knowledge
(@) Properties of right-angled triangle.
(i) Concept of trigonometric ratios.
(di) Concept of angles of elevation and depression and line of sight.
Procedure
( Prepare a semicircular protractor on a chart paper with the help of a geometry box
(i) Using geometry box and sketch pens mark degrees in sexagesimal scale such that 0° in
middle and 1° to 90° proceeding both clockwise and anti-clockwise as shown in the following
figures:
(ii) Paste the semicircular protractor on a plyboard and fix a hollow pipe along its diameter.
(iv) Take a wooden strip fixed on a wooden board.
(v) Fix the semicircular protractor with a screw to the wooden strip such that it can revolve around
screw.
(vl) Suspend a weight from a small nail fixed to the centre such that the weight at the end of
hangs below the protractor. a
(vii) The clinometer (sextant) is obtained as shown in the figure given below. (xiv) Move forward or backward until the top of the tower, whose
height is to be determined comes into view through the hollow
pipe as shown in figure.
(xv) Measure the horizontal distance between the foot of the
observer and the foot of the tower. Here, it is the distance
between A and B.
(xv) Measure the height of the observer. Here it is AO.
Observations
We observe that OE = AB = d units. Let the height of the observer
be OA = h units
A
= BE=OA=h
In right-angled triangle OED,
£® = tan 2200 > Gp 7 tn or |
= ED = OE tan 60° => ED = ABY3 {
= ED=dx 3
Height of the tower =BD = OA + ED = h+ V3d
Conclusion
Values of h and d, ie., height of the observer and distance between the feet of observer and tower are
measurable, then the height of the tower is determined by (hr + V3).
Learning Outcomes
With the help of the clinometer, we can determine the angle of depression or angle of elevation.
Remark
We can determine the height of an object, the angle of elevation, if distance between object and clinometer
is known.
