Activity 3.3 Making Linear Measurements
Introduction
How thick is one of the hairs on your head? Could it be measured accurately with a standard inch scale? If the smallest increment on an inch scale is 1/16 inch, then 20 average size human hairs could fit within the space of a 1/16 inch gap. The required degree of accuracy needed is dependent on the application. If you were to build a home, a standard inch scale is perfect for laying out walls and locating window openings. A dial caliper is a precision measurement tool that is often used in the design and manufacturing of consumer products and is, perhaps, the most common of all the precision measurement tools. Engineers, technicians, scientists, and machinists all use dial calipers to assist the processes of analysis, inspection, engineering design, reverse engineering, and manufacturing.
In this activity you will practice making measurements with a dial caliper.
How thick is one of the hairs on your head? Could it be measured accurately with a standard inch scale? If the smallest increment on an inch scale is 1/16 inch, then 20 average size human hairs could fit within the space of a 1/16 inch gap. The required degree of accuracy needed is dependent on the application. If you were to build a home, a standard inch scale is perfect for laying out walls and locating window openings. A dial caliper is a precision measurement tool that is often used in the design and manufacturing of consumer products and is, perhaps, the most common of all the precision measurement tools. Engineers, technicians, scientists, and machinists all use dial calipers to assist the processes of analysis, inspection, engineering design, reverse engineering, and manufacturing.
In this activity you will practice making measurements with a dial caliper.
Conclusion
1. What additional tools may have helped to measure these parts? Another tool that we could've used is the ruler.
2. Revisit number 1 above. Measure at least five of the dimensions of your part using a standard ruler and record the measurements in brackets next to each caliper measurement. Which measuring device (the caliper or the ruler) provides the best measurements? Why? The caliper is the best measuring device because it provides measurements up to 3 decimal places.
1. What additional tools may have helped to measure these parts? Another tool that we could've used is the ruler.
2. Revisit number 1 above. Measure at least five of the dimensions of your part using a standard ruler and record the measurements in brackets next to each caliper measurement. Which measuring device (the caliper or the ruler) provides the best measurements? Why? The caliper is the best measuring device because it provides measurements up to 3 decimal places.