9.04 Practical applications

Example 3


Measure the difference in height between two ends of a beam suspended at an angle.

Problem
The two reference points are suspended in mid air and are separated by a horizontal distance.

Solution
Take two separate measurements of the height or each end from a flat surface. Use either a setsquare to ensure each measurement is vertical. Subtract the lower measurement from the higher one to determine the difference in height. (alternatively a plumb bob (a weighted string) could be suspended from each end to ensure the height is measure vertically.