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Road Scholar Test Exchange 2015

Can someone explain survey control marks to me? I just need to know which one is more accurate, and that stuff.

awesome90220 wrote:Can someone explain survey control marks to me? I just need to know which one is more accurate, and that stuff.

I feel like I've seen this question asked before, but I'm not sure what you mean by which one is more accurate. They're various symbols (for control station marks, spot elevations, and benchmarks) that give exact elevation on a topographic map. A quick google search gives: http://mapserver.mytopo.com/mapserver/t ... _Data.html, various important symbols (https://engineering.purdue.edu/~asm215/ ... osurv.html was another one, but it doesn't give the symbols). That help?

Are you guys going over all previous practice exams? This is our first year doing it, just wonder how much of an effort is required. So far, we've put in an hour a week for two months now. We can finish the manual and the topics, but won't be able to do all the practice tests because we don't have the maps.

Aces wrote:Are you guys going over all previous practice exams? This is our first year doing it, just wonder how much of an effort is required. So far, we've put in an hour a week for two months now. We can finish the manual and the topics, but won't be able to do all the practice tests because we don't have the maps.

I don't know if this applies only to me or not, but when I first started up, I felt as though I knew what all the material was, yet still knew nothing about the event at all. You need to do at least one or two practice tests, because knowing the vocabulary is one thing and knowing how to apply it is another thing. While it could happen, not many proctors will just make up a test of vocabulary. Knowing what azimuths and bearings are and finding the azimuth or bearing between two locations have a difference.

Thanks. Doing some practice exam makes sense. Just feel that we don't have as much time to do a lot.

Aces wrote:Thanks. Doing some practice exam makes sense. Just feel that we don't have as much time to do a lot.

Well, during a week you feel like doing a practice test, I suggest you just spend the whole night doing tests, that way you can do at least 2 or 3 tests. Also, when finding tests to do, I suggest buying packets online. This way you'll get not only the test, but also the maps required to take the test as well.

Can someone please explain the public land survey system, it is confusing me so much

robotarmy567 wrote:Can someone please explain the public land survey system, it is confusing me so much

and also the daisy world model

robotarmy567, For future reference instead of double posting you can edit your original post (it's a button in the top right corner of the post). Also, is this daisyworld model really for road scholar? It seems like it has more to do with maybe solar system or some other sort of earth science event? I don't have the rules, so correct me if I'm wrong. I just want to keep it in the right context/event topic for asking.

As for PLSS (which is quite relevant to Road Scholar), some sources for explanation:
http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Road_S ... rangles.29 (it's the last bolded word in that quadrangles section, go wiki!)
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/forestmanagemen ... torial.pdf (general tutorial it seems)
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/row/landsurvey ... ook/12.pdf (some harder examples at the end?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3EJYlqMR3E (video of someone explaining it in general)

Lastly, two quotes from last year:
"Yeah, PLSS is not used in the first 13 colonies. It is also not used in Louisiana and Texas(I think, because Louisiana uses an old French system that uses big strips of lines that lead to water. The strips of land also point downhill from the river for easer irrigation.) PLSS is also not used in Hawaii and Alaska. PLSS was made by president Jefferson. He made it for the homestead act, because it accurately determines 40acre and 10acre plots of land. This all happened because of the Louisiana Purchase. After they bought it he wanted for people to move into the land. Also it would be much easer to take over a land that doesn't have anybody in it so that was another reason for the homestead act.(but I'm getting off topic) "

"PLSS stands for Public Land Survey System. And syo is right, its starting point is in East Liverpool Ohio, and yes, I have been there. It is a way to organize parcels of land, and really isn't way too significant in the modern age. An area, designated by state, is given a set of axes. x is the base line, y is the principal meridian. The axes are then given units of Range and Township, respectively, and each is six miles long. Each sector divided by one unit of T and R is 36 sq. mi., therefore. On the map drawing which is required for most tests, one of these square miles is what you are drawing, labeled 1-36."

Just in case you still don't get it from the above, a person who has done road scholar also posted: http://scioly.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... ss#p246554 (which may even help more than all of the above).

If it still doesn't make sense I can try to provide a different explanation, but I hope this helps!