Which term is described as estimating position using course and speed?

• A. Estimated position
• B. Dead reckoning
• C. Soundings on chart
• D. Datum on chart

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is estimating where you are by advancing from a known point using your course and speed. This process is dead reckoning. You start at a known position on the chart, then move along a planned course at a measured speed for the elapsed time, which gives you a distance you can plot on the chart. The new position is along that line from the starting point, at distance equal to speed times time. If currents or wind push you off that line, you adjust for drift to refine your estimate.

For example, if you know you started at a certain point and traveled on a given course at a steady speed for 30 minutes, you’d plot distance = speed × time on that course to estimate where you are now. The other terms don’t describe this method: soundings on a chart relate to depth measurements, not position estimation from course and speed; a datum on a chart is a reference level for elevations; and “estimated position” is the result of the method, not the method itself.