Tutorial Variance propagation & Adjustment computations

1) An angle is measured eight times and the following observations are obtained:
52°38’7.2”,
10.1”
10.0”
6.4”
5.1”
6.1”
10.3”
9.9”
Compute the most probable value, standard error of single observation and variance of means. How
many more observations of the same precision should be taken to reduce the standard error of mean to
±0.50”?
  
2

[Ans: MPV = 52°38’8.1”; σo = ±2.13”; σm= 0.753”; n   0  ; n  18 , another 10 observations]

 0.50 

2) An angle is measured by an observer A, 12 times and other observer B, 7 times with following results.

S. No. A’s observation B’s observation

1 146°48’7.5” 146°48’6.3”
2 8.7” 6.8”
3 3.2” 5.4”
4 9.6” 8.0”
5 8.0” 7.6”
6 2.4” 10.4”
7 5.0” 2.8”
8 1.4” -
9 8.8” -
10 2.2” -
11 3.6” -
12 0.8” -

Find out:
i) Which set of observations is more precise and why?
ii) The MPV of angle
iii) Variance of the MPV of angle.
[Ans: i) Set B; ii) 146°48’6.39”; iii) σm2 = 3.73, σm = +-1.93”]

X A  5.1; X B  7.11
114.81 40.71
 A2   10.44; B2   5.81
11 7
1 1
Weight = PA :PB :: 2 : 2  1:1.8
A B
5.1x1  7.11x1.8
MPV   6.39
2.8
2 2
 PA  2  PB  2
 
2
 A    B  3.73
 PA  PB   PA  PB 
m
3) A 30 m steel tape was found to be 0.050 m too short. This tape was used to measure the area of a square
plot having 60 m sides. Find out:
i) True error in the area of the plot
ii) Error if the function is linearised and higher terms of error neglected.
[Ans: True error = 11.99m2; Approx. error = 11.98m2]

4) For the measurement of the height of the tower, following observations are taken from the station:
Distance of tower D = 350m ± 0.35m
Angle of elevation α = 8°35’20” ±10”
Compute the height of the tower and its variance.
[Ans: h  D tan   f ( D,  );  hh  J  D2  J T ; h = 52.863m; σh= ±0.055%]

5) Interior angles A and B of a plane triangle are known and fixed. Side b (opposite B) is computed from
the fixed values of A and B and the measured value of side a (opposite A). If the error is 0.015m,
evaluate the resulting error in b for the following cases:
1) for A = 120° and B = 15°
2) for A = 15° and B = 120°
[Ans: db = 0.004m and 0.050m respectively]

6) In a stadia leveling, the difference in elevation V is computed (above axis) from the rod intercept s and
vertical angle ‘α using the function V = (1/2) KS x sin2α where K is the stadia constant. If K = 100
(assumed errorless) and the errors in S and α are 0.005m and 60seconds of arc, respectively, evaluate V
and the error in V for:
a) S = 1.500m α =10
b) S = 1.500m, α =15
[Ans: a)V = 0m; dv = 0.043m; b) V = 37.50m, dv = 0.163m]

7) If the sides of a water tank are 30m ± 5mm, 40m ± 5mm with height as 20m ± 8mm, what are the
volume and its standard error? Give the Jacobean matrix.
[Ans: σv = ±10.8m3]

8) Angles A, B and C were measured on the field and found to be 20°30’40” ± 2”, 30°40’50” ± 3” and
40°50’10” ± 4” respectively. The covariance σAB , σBC and σAC were known to be the same having a value
of 1.0 sec2. If two random variables X and Y are represented by X = A + 2B and Y = B + 2C. Find  XY .
 44 25
[Ans:  XY   ]
 25 77 

9) Two interior angles of a plane triangle are measured and the third angle is computed from them. If the
two angle measurements are uncorrelated, with standard deviation 4.5” and 6.0”, respectively evaluate
the standard deviation of the computed angle.
[Ans: 7.5”]

10) The following data refer to a triangulation network as shown in the figure (not to the scale):
Base b = 20372.35±0.20m ; α1= 25°0’0” ; α1 = 75°0’0”

Standard error on all the angle measurements is ±3”. Compute the side BC and its standard error.
[Ans: 8913.445±0.290m]
 11) In a right angled triangle, sides PR and QR were measured independently and found to be 101.059m
and 208.025m respectively. The standard error for the measurement of PR was ±0.012m and that of QR
was ±0.02m. Evaluate the side PQ and angle PQR and their variances. Also find out the corelation, if
any, between side PQ and angle PQR.
[Ans: PQ = 181.83±0.0242 ; α = ±17.5” ; ρα,PQ = -0.816]

12) The interior angles of n-sided closed traverse are measured. All measurements are uncorrelated. If the
standard deviation of each measurement is 4.0”, evaluate the standard deviation of the sum of the
measured angles for (a) n = 5; (b) n = 10; (c) n = 20.

13) A distance is measured in three segments. Each segment is measured more than once and in each case a
mean segment length (simple average) is obtained. The distance is then computed as the sum of mean
segment lengths. Following are the measurements all uncorrelated in meters:

Segment-1 Segment-2 Segment-3

234.615 316.642 887.177
234.633 319.617 887.151
319.649 887.186
319.626

Compute the distance and determine the standard deviation of the computed distance if the standard
deviation of a 100m measurement is 0.010m and the variance of each measurement is directly
proportional to its magnitude.

14) A distance is measured using three different methods. The observed values and their standard deviation
(all in meters) are shown below:

Observation Std Dev

352.095 0.020
352.147 0.030
352.062 0.060

Determine the weighted mean of the observed distances and the standard deviation of this weighted mean
assuming the three observations are independent.
15) Six independent determinations of the elevation of a point are made. These values and their
corresponding weights are shown below.

Elevation (m) Weight

214.151 2
214.213 1
214.114 2
214.167 3
214.130 5
214.189 3

Compute the weighted mean of the six elevations and evaluate the standard deviation of this weighted
mean if a weight of 2 corresponds to a standard deviation of 0.030m.

16) The area of trapezoidal parcel of land is computed as follows:

a a 
Area   1 2  b
 2 

Where a1, a2 and b are independently measured dimensions. If measured values for a1, a2 and b are 319.414
m, 481.112 m and 502.317 m, respectively, and their standard deviations are 0.030 m, and 0.042 m, and
0.020 m respectively, compute the area of the parcel and the standard deviation of this computed area.

17) The coordinates of P1 are x1 = 1000.00m, y1 = 1000.00m; the coordinates of P2 are x2 = 1800.00m, y2 = 1600
m. The covariance matrix for the vector [x1, y1,x2, y2]T is

4 2 2 0
2 8  2 6 
 
 2  2 8  2
 
0 6  2 12  cm2

Evaluate the covariance matrix for ∆x and ∆y, where x  x2  x1 and y  y2  y1 . Then evaluate the
covariance matrix for the length s and azimuth α of P1P2 and determine their standard deviation and
correlation coefficient.