Compass surveying uses a prismatic compass to measure bearings and a chain or measuring tape to measure distances between survey stations. Bearings are measured as angles clockwise from true north or magnetic north. A traverse is a series of connected survey lines between stations. Traverses can be open, with unmatched starting and ending points, or closed, with the starting and ending points matching. Common instruments used in compass surveying include a prismatic compass, chain or measuring tape, ranging poles, and a plumb bob.