# Real estate/surveying/topography question \[corrected title\]
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-surveying-topography-question-corrected-title/134026
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 26, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-surveying-topography-question-corrected-title/134026 "2002-10-26T22:02:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-surveying-topography-question-corrected-title/134026/1 "2002-10-26T22:02:04Z")
Let’s say two friends each want to buy “an acre of land.” Mr. P’s acre is on a flat plain; Mr. M’s is on a mountainside.
Are both plots defined by surface area dimensions – that is, paced off on the ground regardless of its inclination? (Thus Mr. M’s plot will have the same surface area as Mr. P’s.)
Or are they defined by “footprint” dimensions? (Thus Mr. M’s plot will contain more surface area than Mr. P’s.)
---
### Author:  [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-surveying-topography-question-corrected-title/134026/2 "2002-10-26T22:25:36Z")
An acre would be surveyed to be an acre in map view, so a hilly acre has more surface area than a flat acre.
---
### Author:  [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2002, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-surveying-topography-question-corrected-title/134026/3 "2002-10-26T22:28:04Z")
Bah, Ringo beat me to it. I was even going to throw in the IAASurveyor too.
---
### Author:  [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2002, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-surveying-topography-question-corrected-title/134026/4 "2002-10-27T00:15:52Z")
This doesn’t have anything to do with fonts or typefaces. 😕
Did you mean cartography?
---
### Author:  [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2002, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-surveying-topography-question-corrected-title/134026/5 "2002-10-27T01:08:38Z")
Akk! Sorry, Audrey, you are right.
Of course I meant TOPOGRAPHY.
If a mod would change it I’d appreciate it (though I think I got my answer anyhow).