THE GEODIMETER: AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE ACCURATE MEASUREMENT OF DISTANCES BY HIGH-FREQUENCY LIGHT VARIATIONS

Abstract

During the last few years a method of measuring accurately the lengths of lines of moderate length by means of high-frequency variations in the intensity of light emitted by a special transmitter, which promises to have many important applications in triangulation and precise traversing, has been devised by Mr. E. Bergstrand, of the Geographical Survey of Sweden. In principle, the method has certain resemblances to the apparatus invented and used by Fizeau for measuring the velocity of light, Bergstrand's instrument having been designed in the first place for the measurement of the same constant. In Fizeau's apparatus, it will be remembered, a ray of light was directed through the cogs of a revolving toothed wheel towards a distant mirror, and, when the wheel reached a certain angular velocity, the ray reflected from the mirror was intercepted by the cogs, so that an observer stationed on the same side of the wheel as the light source no longer saw the reflection of the light in the mirror. The angular velocity of the wheel being known or observed, the time taken for the cogs to obliterate the reflected image could be calculated, and twice the distance to the mirror divided by this time gave the velocity of light. In the Bergstrand apparatus, which is called the “geodimeter”, light pulses of known frequency and varying intensity are directed to the end station of the line whose distance is required, and, after reflection by a mirror at that station, are received back in a special receiving apparatus alongside the transmitter. Here they are converted into small electric currents, which, when the required distance is a certain function of the wave length of the transmitted and reflected pulses, can be made to give zero deflection on a sensitive galvanometer. In this way, the distance to be measured can be determined in terms of the wave length of the pulses. Experiments so far carried out with this apparatus have been successful up to distances of about 36 kilometres. Even with the latest model, however, as we shall see later, it is necessary to know the approximate distance to within 1½ km.