Bowditch Adjustment
Balance a closed traverse by distributing latitude and departure misclosures in proportion to line lengths.
Compass / Bowditch Rule
Enter the observed traverse bearings and distances. The calculator derives latitude and departure, computes the linear misclosure, applies Bowditch corrections proportional to each line length, and verifies the adjusted closure.
Starting Coordinate
Coordinates are optional. If supplied, the calculator reports adjusted coordinates at every station.
Traverse Settings
Bearings are clockwise from North. Latitude = L cos θ; departure = L sin θ. North/East are positive.
Observed Traverse Lines
| Line | To point | Bearing | Distance | Remove |
|---|
For a closed traverse, at least three lines are required. The last line should return to the starting point.
Bowditch adjustment reference
The Compass/Bowditch Rule assumes angular and linear measurement errors are of comparable relative magnitude. Each latitude and departure correction is proportional to that line's length. The corrected components therefore sum to zero (within numerical precision).