Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Practice Exam

The term used for a circle's radius that relates to the curvature of the land is called:

1. degree of curve

2. chord length

3. internal angle

4. angle of incidence

The correct answer is: degree of curve

The term that pertains to the curvature of land in surveying is indeed referred to as the degree of curve. This term is a critical aspect of horizontal alignment in road and railroad design, where it describes the sharpness of a curve, specifically, how much the direction of the alignment changes along a circular arc. The degree of curve is defined mathematically as the angle subtended at the center of the circle by a chord of a specified length (often 100 feet in the United States). As such, it is directly related to the radius of the circle: a smaller radius results in a larger degree of curve, indicating a sharper turn, while a larger radius indicates a gentler curve. Understanding the degree of curve is important for ensuring safe and efficient movement along curved paths, as it affects sight distances, superelevation (banking of the roadway), and the overall horizontal alignment of the project. Other options like chord length, internal angle, and angle of incidence pertain to different concepts in geometry and surveying and do not specifically address curvature in the context of roads or railways. Chord length refers to the straight line connecting two points on a curve, whereas internal angle usually relates to polygons, and angle of incidence pertains to the approach angle