Getting to the Point
An example of mapping triangulation.Copyright Wikimedia Commons http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/WORLDWIDE_GEOMETRIC_SATELLITE_TRIANGULATION_NETWORK%2C_BC-4_CAMERAS.GIF
Students learn how to determine location by triangulation. After the process of triangulation is described, students practice finding their locations on a worksheet, in the classroom and outdoors.
Engineers design systems that require precise and known locations, and often use triangulation calculations to do this. Engineers use triangulation with ground data to determine where in space a satellite is located. Accurately determining a satellite's location is important to adjusting its position to keep it on course. Triangulation technology is also used to inform a robot of its current and target locations. Triangulation helps in spatial modeling to determine the area covered by cell phone transmitters, roadway noise zones, voltage maps and river high-water marks.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe how to use a map and compass to do triangulation and determine their locations.
- Explain bearing measurements.
- Describe how navigation technology plays an important role in many types of engineering design.