Clinometer

thingiverse

This is an Advanced Clinometer that I designed in SW2003 for an 11th grade Physics Project in school. Also known as an inclinometer, it's an instrument used to measure elevation or height of an object with precision. I created this because we're learning about Trigonometric Functions in Right Triangles, and our project requires us to use the formulas we've learned with a clinometer to find the exact height of an unknown object. Scale up 19x before printing. From Wikipedia: A forester using a clinometer applies basic trigonometry. First, the observer measures a straight-line distance D from some observation point O to the object. Then, using the clinometer, the observer measures the angle a between O and the top of the object. Next, the observer does the same for the angle b between O and the bottom of the object. Multiplying D by the tangent of a gives the height of the object above the observer, and by the tangent of b the depth of the object below the observer. Adding the two of course gives the total height (H) of the object. Overview and Background Lesson Plan and Activity Choose a tall object outside. Standing several meters from the base of the object, measure the distance to the base carefully. Use the clinometer to find the angle you are standing at precisely, and use the correct formulas to calculate the exact height of the object. Repeat 3 additional times from different distances, average results accurately. Materials Needed -Fishing Line -3D printer] -Filament Print out http://www.timvandevall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Printable-Protractor-01.png at 75% size on a standard inkjet printer. Cut in half and glue onto print carefully.