FIELD WORK

NO. 1
PACING ON LEVEL GROUND

INTRODUCTION
The first field work for the elementary surveying field course is the
Pacing on level ground. This is a way of determining the distance by the use
of pace length. The purpose of this field work is to obtain individual pace
factor and to determine an unknown distance by individual pacing. The field
work has been performed for it is considered as a task to attain the
objectives of the field work likewise to attain the data needed.
To attain the data needed by
the Pacing on level ground field work,
COURSE AND SECTION:
the field work was conducted by
adhering to the procedures listed in CE120-0F/B2
the manual. Initially, instruments
were utilized for the Pacing on level
ground field work. The
following instruments
used in the field work SUBMITTED BY:
with their use were: 2
NAME: MONDEJAR, CALVIN PAULO A.
pieces of range poles
that
are
used
for STUDENT NO.: 2013151011
guiding the line of the
path to remain straight, GROUP NO. 5
a chalk for pavements
CHIEF OF PARTY: VILLANUEVA, ALVIN
that is especially used
for marking the points, DATE OF FIELD WORK: 10/8/2015
2 pieces of marking
pins for soft ground and DATE OF SUBMISSION: 10/16/2015
also
used
as
an
alternative for marking
the
ends
of
the
assigned course, and a SUBMITTED TO:
50 meter tape that PROFESSOR: ENGR. IRA BALMORIS
serves as a guide in
measuring the courses
length.
Before
the
pacing on level ground
started,
the
instruments were setup for the 1st part of
GRADE
the field work, which is
the determination of
individual pace factor.

The instruments were checked like making sure that they function correctly
and making sure that they are ready for utilizing.
There are two parts of the pacing on level ground field work: The
computation of individual pace factor and the computation of an unknown
distance and percentage error. For the first part of the field work, the
computation of individual pace factor, the procedures were given likewise the
formulas were also given in order to solve for the individual pace factor. An
individual pace factor can be determined through counting the number of
paces while walking in a measured course length. Every group member has
to conduct in the first part of the field work because each group member has
its own trial for pacing on level ground. For the second part of the field work,
the computation of an unknown distance, an unknown distance is the paced
distance in which this can be determined by determining the number of
paces obtained in each trial of the second part. Also, the individual pace
factor for part B is the individual pace factor computed in part A. This will
lead to the determination of the paced distance and the percentage error.
The paces length from one person to another is multiplied by paces
number to determine the net distance. Approximate results in this field work
are required in order to get a better evaluation. In order to gather
approximate results, one should follow the given procedures listed in the
manual. Field work number 1 asks to find the individual pace factor and the
unknown distance by individual pacing. An individual pace factor is the ratio
of the courses length and the mean number of paces in meter per pace.
Since the courses length is given in the book, the mean number of paces
can be found by the use of a given formula.

OBJECTIVES AND INSTRUMENTS

OBJECTIVES:
1 To develop the skills of taping the distance on a level ground where the
tape is fully supported by the ground.
2 To acquire the skills of taping the distance on an uneven ground where
the tape is only supported at the ends.

INSTRUMENTS:

Figure 1 Range pole

Figure 3 50-meter
tape
Figure 2 Chalk

1. 2 range poles Range poles are used for sighting points and for lining
up tape-persons in order to keep them going in the right direction.
2. Chalk Chalk is used for marking the ends of tapes at intermediate
points while taping.
3. 50-meter tape A 50-meter tape is a flexible ruler used for measuring
the course length from one end of the tape to the other end.

PROCEDURES AND COMPUTATIONS

For the first part of the field work, the determination of Individual Pace
Factor, the following procedures are:
1 The professor measures and designates a 50m course on a level
ground. (Remember to remove the tape while the students will be
pacing on the course to prevent them from using the tape as a basis
for a straight course.)
2 The ends of the assigned course are marked with either hubs or
marking pins or, by chalk marks if on pavements. Designate the points
as A and B.
3 Set or hold range poles behind points A and B or outside the course AB.
These poles will aid the students to travel in a straight path.
4 Each student should take turn pacing the course from A to B starting
with heel or toe over A, keeping their eyes focus on the range pole
behind point B to keep themselves on the straight path. One has to
walk in their natural unaffected manner, and has to keep counting their
number of paces for the entire course being covered. A partial pace at
the end of the course should be figured out to the nearest one fourth of
a pace. Record this as the number of paces for Trial No. 1.
5 For Trial No.2, each student should walk from B to A in the same
manner as in the first trial.
6 Repeat steps 4 and 5 for subsequent trials to comply with the number
of trials required by the professor.
7 Data should be entered in the preliminary data sheet.

For the second part of the field work, the determination of an unknown
distance of the assigned course through pacing, the following procedures
are:
1 The professor marks the ends of a level course to be paced by each
student.
2 Range poles are to be set up outside the level course to straighten
the path of the student.
3 Each student paces the course with the minimum number of trials
as required, recording the number of paces for each trial.
4 The professor, after all field notes shall have been submitted
assigns two students to make an actual taping of the course to
determine its actual taped distance.
COMPUTATIONS:
The computation of sample field notes is done in accordance with the
steps listed hereunder:
A Computations of P.F.
1 Get the sum of the 5 trials and divide its sum by number of trials to get
the mean.
N=mean number of paces=

of thenumber of paces
number of paces

2 Divide the length of the course by the mean number of paces to get
the individual Pace Factor P.F.
length of course
m
P.F.= mean number of paces
pace

B Computation of an unknown distance and percent error

1 Get the sum of the number of paces in each trial and divide this sum
by the number of trials performed to get the mean.
N=mean number of paces =

of the number of paces

number of trials

2 Multiply the mean number of paces of the unknown distance by the

pace factor (P.F.) to obtain the paced distance

P.D.=(N)*(P.F.)
3 Divide the difference between the taped distance and the paced
distance by the error taped distance and multiply the quotient by
100% to get the percentage of error.
Percentage of error =

Taped distance paced distance

x 100
number of trials

THE PRINCIPLE:
A pace maybe measured form heel to heel of from toe to toe. While
half pace is from toe of one foot to the heel of the other foot, to keep one on
the line while pacing, it is good practice to fix his eyes on a distant object at
the range behind the pole on the farther end of the line being paced. Since
the accepted precision of measuring distance by pacing is 1/300, it should be
used only for estimating distance such as those used for sketching and
making reconnaissance surveys.

Heel to
heel

Heel to Toe

Toe to
Toe

Individuals Foot Length

PRECISION OF PACING A DISTANCE:

The precision of measuring a distance by pacing is only 1/300.
Precision of pacing a distance = 1/300

QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS

1 Why is it important to know the individuals pace factor?
It is important to know the individuals pace factor because it is
very applicable, helpful, and useful for civil engineers to make precise
approximations on measurements. By using ones own pace factor, one

can measure the distance of the course with no difficulty without the
use of a meter tape.
2 Name Three most important pointers that an individual must
remember to follow in order to make his/her approximation of the
distance of an unknown course to be as accurate as possible.
The three most important pointers that an individual must
remember to follow are to always remember the number of paces
while counting, to pace frequently, and to keep pacing straight as
possible as one can while counting the number of paces.
3 A student tries to measure the perimeter of a small Park of his
community by pacing around the area for three consecutive times. The
number of paces was tallied at 535,543 and 539 respectively, for each
trial. If the students pace factor is 0.74m/pace, determine the actual
perimeter of the land.
Mean=

535+543+539
3

539
Perimeter=(mean)(pace factor )

(539)(0.74)
Actual Perimet er=398.86 m

4 Every morning, joy walks school from her boarding house and takes
only a single route. For five consecutive days, she tries to count the
number of paces she makes. Monday mornings number of paces made
joy is listed as 345 pace. On Tuesday, 353 paces; Wednesday; 358
paces; Thursday, 348 paces, and lastly, on Friday 355 paces. That
Friday afternoon, a surveyor from city engineers office who is tasked
to lay out a new drainage piping system, measured the exact route she
took and found out that the taped distance is 275 m. What is joys pace
factor?

mean=N =

345+353+ 358+ 348+355

5

N=351.8
Pace factor =P . F .=

P . F .=

Taped distance
mean

275
351.8

Pace factor =0.78

5 The table shown below was taken from Jacks notes when he tried to
determine the perimeter of his newly acquired agricultural piece of
land. Knowing that his pace factor is 0.81, determine the perimeter of
his lot. Complete the table.
TRIA
L

LINE

NO. OF
PACES

PACED
FACTOR

PACED
DISTAN
CE

PERIMETE
R

1
2
3
4
5
6

AB
BC
CD
DE
EF
FA

125.25
85
79.5
133
185
112

0.81

101.45
68.85
64.40
107.73
149.85
90.72

583

Solution:

PERIMETER=PD OF AB+ BC +CD + DE + EF+ FA

PERIMETER=101.45+ 68.85+64.40+107.73+149.85+90.72

PERIMETER=583 m
6 The length of the basketball court from MITs Gym was paced by a CE
student whose pace factor is 0.78. How many paces accurate to of a
pace do you think did the student make?

FINAL DATA SHEET

FIELD WORK 1

PACING ON LEVEL GROUND

DATE: 10/8/2015

GROUP NO. 5

TIME: 7:30-12:00NN LOCATION: MAPUA WEST BUILDING

WEATHER: GOOD

PROFESSOR: ENGR. BALMORIS

A. PACE FACTOR (P.F.) DETERMINATION

TRIAL

LINE

1
2
3
4
5

AB
BA
AB
BA
AB

TAPED
DISTANCE
50 M
50 M
50 M
50 M
50 M

NO. OF
PACES
70
82
77
78
81

MEAN

PACE
FACTOR

77.6

0.64

B. COMPUTATIONS

N=mean number of paces=

N=mean number of paces=

of the number of paces

number of trials

70+ 82+ 77+78+81

5

N=mean number of paces=77.6

P . F .=

length of course
m/ pace
mean number of paces

P . F .=

50
m/ pace
77.6

P . F .=0.64 m/ pace
C. MEASURING DISTANCE BY PACING

TRIAL

LINE

NO. OF PACES

MEAN

PACED
FACTOR

PACED
DISTANCE

TAPED
DISTANCE

ERROR

79.2

0.64

50.69

54.8

0.27%

1
CD
76
2
DC
79
3
CD
75
4
DC
78
5
CD
80
D. COMPUTATIONS:

N=mean number of paces=

76+ 79+75+78+80
5

N=mean number of paces=79.2

PD= paced distance=( N )( P. F .)

PD=79.20.64

PD= paced distance=50.69

%error=

|54.850.69|
54.8

x 100

%error=0.27

E. SKETCH

50 meters

FIELD WORK PHOTOS

Marking a point in one of the poles as

point A

Determining the pole in point A is straight

to point B

Concluding
the first
of determining
the
Initiating
thetrial
determination
of number
numberof
ofpaces
paceslikewise
in a given
thedistance
individual pace
factor

RESEARCH
AND DISCUSSION
Fielding the meter tape for the second

Determining the number of paces per

part Pacing
of the field
measuring
on work,
a level
ground is useful when
measurements
are not
trialexact
likewise
the paced distance
for part
unknown
distance
B a marked end, start from a
necessary. For example, when trying to locate

known end. Pace off the approximate distance. This should put you close
enough to find the missing corner without taking a great deal of time to use
a steel tape.
Pacing is a rapid means of approximately checking more precise
measurements of distance. Pacing over rough country may be done with a
precision of one in one hundred. In average conditions, a person with some
experience should have little difficulty in pacing with a precision of one in
two hundred. Obviously, there is not much precision in this method and the
procedure provides only an approximation of distance. Technicians involved
in surveying standardize their pace by walking over known distances on
level, sloping, and uneven ground.

According to the principle mentioned in the book, a pace maybe

measured from heel to heel of from toe to toe. While half a pace is from the
toe of one foot to the heel of the other foot. To keep one on the line while
pacing, it is good to practice to fix his eyes on a distant object at the range
behind the pole on the farther end of the line being paced. Since the
accepted precision of measuring distance by pacing is 1/300, it should be
used only for estimating distances such as those used for sketching and
making reconnaissance surveys. This principle explains that each pace
counted by an individual is given by the way he/she measured the pace. One
can measure the pace through heel to heel, toe to toe, heel to toe, and
individuals foot length. One must keep on the line while pacing because the
number of paces can be guided while walking in a straight line thus creating
prcised results.
The ability to pace distances with reasonable precision is very useful to
almost anyone. The surveyor in particular can use pacing to quickly make
approximate measurements or to check measurements made by more
precise means.
A person can determine the value of his average pace by counting the
paces necessary for him to walk a distance which has previously been
measured more precisely with a steel tape. For most persons pacing is done
most satisfactorily when taking natural steps. Some others like to try to take
paces of certain lengths, but this method is tiring for long distances and
usually gives results of lower precision for short or 1ong distances. As
horizontal distances are needed, some adjustments should be made when
pacing is done on sloping ground.
There are other concepts that are considered in the pacing on level
ground field work like distance, pacing, average pace, etc. A person can
determine the value of his or her average pace by counting the number of
paces necessary to walk a distance that has been previously measured
accurately.
Distances obtained by pacing are sufficiently accurate for many
purposes in surveying, engineering, geology, agriculture, forestry, and
military field sketching. Pacing is also used to detect blunders that may occur
in making distance observations by more accurate methods.
Pacing is one of the most valuable things learned in surveying since it
has practical applications for everybody and requires no equipment. If the
terrain is open and reasonably level, experienced pacers can measure
distances of 50 feet or longer with the precision of measuring a distance by
pacing of 1/300.

CONCLUSION
Based on the data gathered from the field work, I therefore conclude
that an individual pace factor was obtained through the field work
procedures created likewise by computing using the formula with a function
of the mean pace factor and individual pace factor. The individual pace factor
was found out after gathering the data needed in the formula like the
number of paces in each trial, the mean, and the given value of tape length.
Thus, the individual pace factor is the ratio of the courses length over the
mean. I also conclude that an unknown distance by individual pacing was
determined through field work procedures. The unknown distance was
determined after the data were accumulated like the number of paces in
each trial, its mean, the paced distance, and a percentage error. Thus, the
paced distance is the product of the mean number of paces and the
individual pace factor.
Based on the pacing on level ground field work, Ive learned that
Pacing is very important to be familiar with distances, having estimated
distances by just simply walking. We use pacing when theres an activity to
check if our measurements tally with our pacing of course our pace factor
should be accurate. We get the mean value of our pace factor to be much
more accurate. A range pole guided us to keep our movement in a straight
line. After finishing this field work we have known that we can measure an
approximately measurement without any instrument by pacing, and we
learned how to measure our pace length, also we learned how to use along
tapes and use the ranging pole.
In this field work, our group encountered errors in the results of the
obtained data and we diagnosed the sources of error of pacing like error due
to tape, human error, and error due to positioning. In order to reduce error
and improve our field work, I recommend that the tape should be measured
carefully so that the field work results will be more accurate. I also
recommend that position of the poles in a line should be adjusted more to
make it straight so that prcised number of paces and individual pace factor
can be achieved.
Based on what the group experienced, our group noticed some
problems while conducting the pacing on level ground field work. First, we
noticed that the meter tape was supposed to be measured the course length
only but our group made the meter tape as a reference for a straight course.
Second, we also made some problems regarding the determination of the

individual pace factor of the second part of the field work for we determined
that the value of individual pace factor is different from the value in part a,
only we found out that the individual pace factor values of the first and
second part of the field work are equivalent.
The Field work 1, Pacing on level ground, is an application of measuring
approximate distances in surveying by individual pacing. It is an application
because Pacing is a rate of movement, especially in stepping, walking, etc.
Pacing is an estimated method used to measure distances. First we get our
pace factor by having a measured distance given by our professor then
count the number of steps from the starting point to the measured point.
Applications of pace factor can be used to determine the distance of a
course, traversing map distances, measure tree height, and others. But there
is a problem when there are obstacles in the course you are trying to pace.
Knowing your pace factor and using it as a measuring technique can easily
save time and with enough mastery can have an exact measurement like the
tape measure.