Dr. B.R.
AMBEDKAR
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
JALANDHAR
PLANIMETER
NAME : NISHI PRABHA LODWAL
BRANCH : CIVIL (B4b)
ROLL NO. : 21102053
SUBJECT : CECI-101
QUES.: What is planimeter and
digital planimeter. Discuss its use.
Find the area of a figure using
planimeter data.
PLANIMETER: It is an instrument used in surveying to
compute the area of any given plane. Planimeter only needs a
plan drawn on the sheet to calculate area.
Generally, it is very difficult to determine the area of the
irregular plot. So, by using a planimeter we can easily calculate
the area of any shape.
DIGITAL PLANIMETER: Type of planimeter
which works on the built-in nickel-cadmium storage
battery. There is a rotary encoder, which has replaced
the integrating wheel by mechanicalplanimeter. An
electronic circuit measures the pulses of rotary encoder
and area is displayed in digital form.
: Digital planimeter
: planimeter
USES OF PLANIMETER
• Planimeter is used as a mathematical instrument. It is used
for the purpose of measuring the area of a plane figure.
• It is also used in the building trade to calculate areas of large
floors
• A planimeter can be used to measure the area of irregular
shapes by tracing an outline or perimeter, which then
translates into flat shape, often a rectangle.
• A flat-surfaced material such as paper is put on top of the
object, and then a pencil or pen traces around it to mark its
extent.
• The area of the traced outline is multiplied by the length of
the outer edge to obtain a measure of the surface area.
• The planimeter is also used in manufacturing industry to
measure objects in factories.
• measuring the area of plots with
planimeter, two methods are
generally adopted.
Method 1: the area of the figure is measured in square
cm and the field area is determined by multiplying the
area of the figure by the square of the scale of the plot.
Along with the planimeter, the manufacturers supply a
scale chart. In this, the positions at which the vernier is
to be set on the tracing arm for different scales are
given. The vernier is set to a scale of 1:1 and the area of
the plot is determined. This is multiplied with the
square of the scale to get the field area.
Method 2: The filed area is directly obtained from the
plot in sq.m. For this, the vernier is set to the position
on the tracer bar corresponding to the scale of the plot.
The area of the field is directly obtained in sq.m
Procedure for finding area with
planimeter:
The stepwise procedure for determining the area by method two is given below:
1. Let the scale of the plot be 1:S
2. Set the vernier to the position on the tracer bar for a scale of 1:1
3. Fix the anchor point firmly on the paper outside or inside the figure according to
whether the figure is small or large. Then move the tracing point only in the
clockwise direction around the plot figure. Check whether all the points in the
boundary can be reached without any difficulty. If not, change the position of the
anchor point. Also note whether the total rotation of the wheel is a forward or a
backward motion.
4. Mark a definite point on the outline of the figure and set the tracing point exactly
on it.
5. Note the initial reading (I.R) or alternately set the dial and the wheel to zero.
6. Move the tracing point exactly around the outline always in a clockwise direction
until it again reaches the starting point exactly. Note the final reading (F.R).
7. Note the number of times the zero mark of the dial passes the fixed point (index
mark) in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction, while the tracing point is moved
along the outline of the figure.
8. Area of the figure is given by:
A = M (FR-IR = -10N+ C)
Where M= the multiplier
FR= final reading
IR= initial reading
N= It is the number of times the zero mark of the dial guage passes the fixed index
mark
C= a constant
QUESTION:
The area of a square, 10 cm side was measured by a planimeter
with the anchor point outside the figure and initial and final
readings were found to be 6.852 and 8.764respectively. With the
same setting of the tracing arm and the anchor point outside,
another irregular figure was traversed clockwise and the initial and
final readings were found to be 2.378 and 8.656respectively.
What is the area of the figure? If the plan of the scale is 1 cm =
10 m, calculate the area in square meters
SOLUTION:
Area of the figure =M (FR – IR ± 10 N + C)
• In this problem, N = 0 and also C = 0 as the anchor point is
outside the figure
• Case 1: 10 x 10 = M (8.764 – 6.852), M =100 / 1.912
• Case 2: A = M (8.656 – 2.378) = 100/1.912(6.278) = 328.347
sq. cm1 sq. cm = 100 sq.
• therefore, area of the figure 328.347 x 100= 32834.7 sq. M
Planimeter used to calculate area of region.
