subject: What Is A Clinometer And How Does It Work? [print this page] It is really astonishing that how people measure the height of a skyscraper or anything that is very tall for example a tall tree. What is the method? Do they hang the inches tape from the top, or do they use gigantic rulers? It really sounds impractical because not only it is a hard task but also overly time consuming. Thus Clinometer came into existence. Clinometer is a device made on the mechanism of geometry of triangles to measure the height of tall objects visually rather than measuring them physically. It aids to do the measurement fairly accurate and easy. The instrument consists of a lens along with a scale imprinted on it in units which differ from instrument to instrument. Though every clinometers have different scale, however the process of measurement is however same.
Clinometers are mostly used in forestry to determine the height of plants or trees, as well as used to measure buildings or structures. While the idea of learning how to use a clinometer may sound difficult, it really can be quite simple. All you will need is the clinometer and the object to be measured. Just read the process of measurement given below.
Initially locate a place that is appropriate to measure the object which is known as the baseline distance. This baseline distance dependents on the category of clinometer in use. As for example, some requires 10 meters of baseline distance, which indicates the distance for an accurate measurement. Irrespective of the type of clinometer it is always advisable to stay within the baseline distance so that your measurements will be as accurate as possible. The next step is to locate the instrument appropriately to obtain the measurement correctly. Just ensure that clinometer is positioned correctly which is displayed on its casing stating "up" for the correct side up. Then look through the lens with one open and other closed to the object that has to be measured. The lens will allow you to visualize the projected scale. Then place the scale in such a manner so that the object is aligned against the scale. Then the values at the top and at the bottom of the object will be available against the scale. In order to obtain the altitude of the object just calculate the difference between the bottom value and the top value. If the clinometer is a metric one, the calculated value will be in meters. Though the process is easy it is always sensible to examine the instruction manual of the clinometer for any baseline distance requirement or specific instructions. One you have congregate the values do not forget to preserve it by keeping the instrument in its case. Known for their extraordinary accuracy, the digital clinometer uses breakthrough technology. They are now very strong, tough and really easy to use.
