The Rectangular Government Survey System

Vocabulary flashcards covering the method of reading rectangular survey descriptions and calculating parcel acreage based on a fictional township example.

Rectangular Survey Reading Direction

The method of locating a land parcel by reading the legal description directions from right to left (e.g., starting with the Section, followed by the NW quarter, etc.).

Standard Section Size

The total land area of one entire section in the rectangular survey system, which consists of $640$ acres.

Township Clarkson

The fictional township used as an example to illustrate how to identify and locate a specific parcel named S½ SE¼ NW¼.

S½ SE¼ NW¼ Calculation

A legal description representing $\frac{1}{32}$ of a section ($\frac{1}{2} \times \frac{1}{4} \times \frac{1}{4} = \frac{1}{32}$), totaling $20$ acres when calculated as $\frac{1}{32} \times 640 = 20$.

Fractional Multipliers

The components used to determine the size of a parcel, such as S½ ($\frac{1}{2}$), SE¼ ($\frac{1}{4}$), and NW¼ ($\frac{1}{4}$).