What is the method for obtaining the position of points by observing and measuring from two or more intersection points?

• A. Intersection
• B. Triangulation
• C. Resection
• D. Ranging

Answer: (A)

The position is found by the crossing of lines of position. Each known point provides a line toward the unknown point (a bearing or direction). When you observe from at least two known points, you get two lines that should meet at the true location. That crossing pins down the position. Using more lines adds redundancy and lets you check accuracy or apply a least-squares adjustment if measurements aren’t perfect.

In practice, you’d measure bearings from two or more landmarks to the point you’re locating, then plot those lines and find where they intersect. This differs from other methods: triangulation builds a network of triangles over an area to infer positions, ranging uses distance measurements to form circles around known points, and resections determine the unknown’s position by measurements taken from the unknown point toward known points.