Triangulation
In
trigonometry and elementary
geometry, triangulation is the process of finding
coordinates and distance to a point by calculating the length of one side of a
triangle, given measurements of angles and sides of the triangle formed by that point and two other known reference points, using the
law of sines.
Some identities often used :
* The sum of the angles of a triangle is
π rad or 180 degrees.
* The
law of sines
* The
law of cosines
* The
Pythagorean theorem
Triangulation is used for many purposes, including
surveying,
navigation, metrology,
astrometry, binocular vision and gun direction of
weapons.
Encyclopedia
In
trigonometry and elementary
geometry,
triangulation is the process of finding
coordinates and distance to a point by calculating the length of one side of a
triangle, given measurements of angles and sides of the triangle formed by that point and two other known reference points, using the
law of sines.
Some identities often used :
Triangulation is used for many purposes, including
surveying,
navigation, metrology,
astrometry, binocular vision and gun direction of
weapons.
Many of these surveying problems involve the solution of large meshes of triangles, with hundreds or even thousands of observations. Complex triangulation problems involving real-world observations with errors require the solution of large systems of
simultaneous equations to generate solutions.
Famous uses of triangulation have included the retriangulation of Great Britain.
See also
- Multilateration, where a point is calculated using the time-difference-of-arrival between other known points
- Parallax
- Trilateration, where a point is calculated given its distances from other known points
- Trigonometry
