ArticleslgStudy

science

Transverse Mercator: Bowring series

Transverse Mercator: Bowring series is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Transverse Mercator: Bowring series rather than just read about it. In short: The Bowring series of the transverse mercator published in 1989 by Bernard Russel Bowring gave formulas for the Transverse Mercator that are simpler to program but retain millimeter accuracy. Bowring rewrote the fourth order Redfearn series (after discarding small terms) in a more compact notation by replacing the spherical terms, i.e. those independent of ellipticity, by the exact expressions used in the spherical…

Key takeaways

  • Transverse Mercator: Bowring series belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Transverse Mercator: Bowring series to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Transverse Mercator: Bowring series from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Bowring series of the transverse mercator published in 1989 by Bernard Russel Bowring gave formulas for the Transverse Mercator that are simpler to program but retain millimeter accuracy. Bowring rewrote the fourth order Redfearn series (after discarding small terms) in a more compact notation by replacing the spherical terms, i.e. those independent of ellipticity, by the exact expressions used in the spherical transverse Mercator projection. There was no gain in accuracy since the elliptic terms were still truncated at the 1mm level. Such modifications were of possible use when computing resources were minimal.

Notation

a {\displaystyle a} = radius of the equator of the chosen spheroid (e.g. 6378137 m for GRS80/WGS84)

b {\displaystyle b} = polar semi-axis of the spheroid

k 0 {\displaystyle k_{0}} = scale factor along the central meridian (e.g. 0.9996 for UTM)

ϕ {\displaystyle \scriptstyle \phi } = latitude

ω {\displaystyle \scriptstyle \omega } = difference in longitude from the central meridian, in radians, positive eastward

m {\displaystyle m} = meridian distance, measured on the spheroid from the equator to ϕ {\displaystyle \scriptstyle \phi } (see below) E = distance east of the central meridian, measured on the Transverse Mercator projection N = distance north of the equator, measured on the Transverse Mercator projection

ε = 2 r − 1 ( r − 1 ) 2 = a 2 − b 2 ( b 2 ) {\displaystyle \varepsilon \;=\;{\frac {2r-1}{(r-1)^{2}}}=\;{\frac {a^{2}-b^{2}}{(b^{2})}}\;}

where r is the reciprocal of the flattening for the chosen spheroid (for WGS84, r = 298.257223563 exactly).

Convert Lat-Lon to Transverse Mercator

c = cos ⁡ ϕ s = sin ⁡ ϕ {\displaystyle c=\cos \phi \qquad s=\sin \phi }

ν = a 1 + ε 1 + ε c 2 {\displaystyle \nu \;=\;a{\sqrt {\frac {1+\varepsilon }{1+\varepsilon c^{2}}}}} (prime vertical radius of curvature)

z = ε ω 3 c 5 6 {\displaystyle z={\frac {\varepsilon \omega ^{3}c^{5}}{6}}}

tan ⁡ θ 2 = 2 s c sin 2 ⁡ ( ω / 2 ) s 2 + c 2 cos ⁡ ω {\displaystyle \tan \theta _{2}\;=\;{\frac {2sc\sin ^{2}(\omega /2)}{s^{2}+c^{2}\cos \omega }}}

E = k 0 ν [ tanh − 1 ( c sin ⁡ ω ) + z ( 1 + ω 2 10 ( 36 c 2 − 29 ) ) ] {\displaystyle {\text{E}}\;=\;k_{0}\nu \left[{\tanh }^{-1}(c\sin \omega )+z\left(1+{\frac {\omega ^{2}}{10}}(36c^{2}-29)\right)\right]}

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Transverse Mercator: Bowring series

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Transverse Mercator: Bowring series claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Transverse Mercator: Bowring series before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Transverse Mercator: Bowring series ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Transverse Mercator: Bowring series

In research
Transverse Mercator: Bowring series appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Transverse Mercator: Bowring series in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Transverse Mercator: Bowring series is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Conformal projections, Geocodes, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Transverse Mercator: Bowring series outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Transverse Mercator: Bowring series” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Transverse Mercator: Bowring series in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Transverse Mercator: Bowring series means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Transverse Mercator: Bowring series out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Transverse Mercator: Bowring series in simple terms?

The Bowring series of the transverse mercator published in 1989 by Bernard Russel Bowring gave formulas for the Transverse Mercator that are simpler to program but retain millimeter accuracy. Bowring rewrote the fourth order Redfearn series (after discarding small terms) in a more compact notation…

Why does Transverse Mercator: Bowring series matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Transverse Mercator: Bowring series?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Transverse Mercator: Bowring series.

Tags

  • Conformal projections
  • Geocodes

Keep exploring