ATTENTION TENNESSEE SURVEYORS

Does your public relations lack the attention it should get because you’re so busy working?

Are you concerned with the future of your profession? Let’s get our youth involved in surveying by sponsoring the Trig-Star Contest (a high school trigonometry skill awards program) at your local high school. You can sponsor more than one school. Students of your local high school will compete against one another to complete a survey related timed trigonometry test. Your school winner’s test score will also be used for state competition. The state winner will receive $500. In addition to any awards at the local and state level, the state Trig-Star winner will be able to compete for $2000, $1000 and $500 scholarship prizes at the national level.

TAPS will purchase a state license for the Trig-Star Contest each school year which allows each chapter to sponsor any high school without having to pay a fee for each test packet.

For more information:

Contact the Tennessee Coordinator:
Robert (Bob) P. Taylor
167 Old Fort Road
Oldfort, TN 37362
423-338-8097 (Home)
btaylor@wingnet.net (Home)

What is Trig-Star?

Trig-Star is a high school mathematics competition based on the practical applications of Trigonometry. Students who participate not only earn awards, but come away with a better understanding of a technical profession such as Land Surveying and Mapping. Professional Surveyors utilize the Trig-Star program to advance communication with the communities they serve.

The Trig-Star Program builds an awareness of Land Surveying as a profession among mathematically skilled high school students, career guidance counselors, and high school math teachers. Land Surveying companies provide professionals who volunteer their time to explain how trigonometry is used to solve Land Surveying and Mapping problems.

A Trig-Star is a trigonometry student who has demonstrated in competition that he or she is the most superior skilled at each high school in the practical application of trigonometry. The winner is the Trig-Star of their high school, and depending on their score, they may also be declared the State Trig-Star. Besides the state title, the State Trig-Star wins cash prizes. State Trig-Stars may also compete for the national title.

Trig-Star is a national education and scholarship program sponsored by the Tennessee Association of Professional Surveyors and the National Society of Professional Surveyors. Contact your local Trig-Star Program Sponsor for additional information.


Tennessee Association of Professional Surveyors
607 Due West Avenue W. Suite 96
Madison, TN. 37115
615-860-9311
615-860-7177
tapsinc_@bellsouth.net

TENNESSEE TRIG STAR WINNERS
DUSTIN PARR 1999
COREY PITCHFORD 2000
ADAM BELL 2001
TESSA THOMASON 2002
HENRY HORNE 2003
WHITNEY CROSS 2004
DANIEL GALYON 2005
DAVID VAN DEVANDER
COLE LILLARD 2007
SEAN HELMS 2008
CALEB WATKINS 2009

Example Trig-Star Problem

During the initial planning of a new roadway, a surveyor was asked to lay out the straight line “AF” shown in the figure below. However, while laying out the “AF”, a dense wooded area along the line of sight was encountered. The surveyor decided to make a few measurements to go around the obstruction. The angles and distances measured by the surveyor are shown in the figure below.



Determine the distance “DE” that the surveyor will need to measure out to get back to the straight line at point “E”.

Determine the angle that the surveyor will need to turn at point “E” to get back onto the straight line “AF”.

Determine the distance “BE” along the straight line that was bypassed.

To be turned at “E” to get back on line.

Express distances to the nearest 0.01 ft. and the angle to the nearest second.

Distance “DE” = __________________

Angle at “E” = __________________

Distance “BE” = __________________