Measuring tools are important instruments to measure a physical quantity. In Physics, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is simply obtaining and comparing quantities of some specified objects.
The measurement allows for a number to be related to the object we are studying and a reference unit of measurement. Measuring tools with proper methods that describe the use of the tools are the ways by which we obtain these numbers of relations.
One small measurement pickled the whole project. You must understand how to use the various types of measurement tools in order to avoid it.
To assist you in your introduction of measuring tools, we have compiled a list of the essential measuring tools along with it’s use.
Types of Measuring Tools
Following are the types of measuring tools used for all purposes:
- Angle locator
- Bubble inclinometer
- Caliper
- Compass
- Digital angle gauge
- Level
- Laser level
- Micrometer
- Measuring squares
- Odometer
- Pressure gauge
- Protractor
- Ruler
- Speedometer
- Tape measure
- Thermometer
#1. Angle Locator.
An angle locator is also called an angle finder. It’s the excellent tool for measuring angles and duplicating the angle of an existing location. These are used for construction, or carpenting purposes as examples.
These measuring tools use a magnetic base that is used to hold them onto a metal measuring section. The angle locator is a manual tool with a digital display.
You will need to place the ends of this angle locator on the workpiece, and use the readings you see to achieve your angle.
The angle locator has the sense of being an even measurement tool with angles from 0° to 90° which can be read easily. There are times you will need to find an angle inside a closet or small place and something like this makes it much easier.
#2. Bubble Inclinometer.
An inclinometer is a great option if you are trying to determine a specific incline. Inclinometers are specific designed to measure range of motion of a joint, and also the stability of the grade.
To assess the range of motion of a joint to be measured, position the bubble inclinometer to zero, and determine what the difference is as it moves through its changes. Sports therapists frequently use the bubble inclinometer to measure healthy ranges of motion at formational joints of the body.
#3. Digital Angle Gauge.
Workers often need to measure angles, and angle gauges were invented for this very reason. Angle gauges are a collection of measuring tools that allow you to quickly measure any angle surfaces attached to the device.
A digital angle gauge is faster, easier to use, and more accurate than an analog angle gauge.
They have a powerful magnetic base and automatic calibration controls that make it easier to obtain precise bevel and miter angles on powered saws. They are relatively inexpensive measuring tools andare very accurate.
#4. Caliper.
A caliper is a tool used for measuring dimensions of an object such as thickness, outside and inside diameter, length, width and depth.
These tools provide multiple dimensions and are typically made of steel. Calipers are used in engineering, medicine, construction, household, and metalworking fields.
The tips of the calipers can be adjusted to fit across the object being measured; then, the calipers can be removed; and measuring the total length is simply achieved by measuring the fixed ruler.
There are different types of calipers that allow the measurement to be read on a controlled scale, dial or digital reading.
#5. Compass.
The compass is an important tool that is used in tasks including math, drafting, navigation, and other tasks. If you are an architect, you will most likely have used a compass before, too. And it is regularly used in shipbuilding and carpentry.
Compasses are typically made of metal (although plastic models exist) and have two “legs” linked by a hinge that allows you to establish the radius of the circle you are going to draw.
A compass is a technical drawing tool that can be used to write circles or arcs. The compass can also be used to separate distances, as a divider, on maps in particular.
#6. Level.
It is a measuring tool that indicates the horizontal plane. A level is an optical device with air bubbles in a liquid medium to indicate the measured results. The tube is sealed in a block of wood that has a smooth-finished bottom surface and secured horizontally.
The glass tube of the level is tilted established the adjustment in the horizontal plane according to the movement of the bubble.
Builders commonly use longer-leveling instruments of 2-, 4- or 6 feet. They use them for all construction works, woodwork, and in metalwork shops.
#7. Laser Level.
A laser level uses a rotating laser beam projector attached to a tripod. It is leveled based on the tool’s accuracy and projects a steady red or green beam, either a plane about the horizontal and/or vertical axis.
Some variants are also capable of taking a measurement of the distance from the tool to the end of the laser, providing a quick and accurate solution to distance measuring on the worksite.
Laser levels are widely used for leveling and aligning in the surveying and construction industry.
#8. Micrometer.
Micrometers are similar to calipers that screw or screw down rather than slide or slide down. The spindle is highly accurate and the object to be measured is placed between the spindle and the anvil.
The spindle is rotated by turning the ratchet knob until the measurement is taken. Besides the name micrometer, other names are also screw-gauges.
Digital micrometers give a quick reading of the work distance between their two caliper heads.
Micrometers are commonly used to make a precise measurement of components in mechanical engineering or machining and most mechanical trades, along with other metrological devices and measurement gauges, such as dials, verniers, and digital calipers.
#9. Measuring Squares.
A square is a device for locating and referring to a 90° angle. A miter square is used for 45°.
A square measuring instrument consists of two straight edges arranged at right angles to one another. They are sold in several special forms: combination squares, drywall squares, framing squares, and speed squares.
Carpenters and machinists use squares to verify the accuracy of right angles for marking lines on the material before cutting. Other square measuring instruments can also have a means of actually measuring or calculating a distance or angle with a scale (ruler) or some other type of measurement device.
#10. Odometer.
The odometer is another measuring tool found in automobiles that measures the distance traveled by the vehicle, whether it be a bicycle or a car, for various purposes.
Odometers can be manufactured either electronically, mechanically, or electromechanically (a combination of electronic and mechanical).
Mechanical odometers are the most common type, and they are mounted using a flexible cable made from a tightly wound spring. Mechanical odometers are being replaced by digital odometers that are cheaper and provide additional features, but unfortunately, they are not as good.
#11. Pressure Gauge.
Pressure measurement refers to the analysis of force acted on a surface by the fluid. Therefore, a pressure gauge is utilized to measure and display the pressure of the fluid as a unit of measurement. Pressure is measured in units of force per surface area.
Pressure gauges are used in the measurement of anything from altitude, to air pressure, to depth, to blood pressure.
The advantages of utilizing a pressure gauge is that it is simple to read, and commonly reflects on the screen in brevity. Hydrostatic and aneroid gauges are the most common types of analog pressure gauges.
#12. Protractor.
A protractor is a measuring instrument, typically made of plastic or glass, in the shape of a half-circle.
They measure angles and are generally labeled with degrees; although you may find protractors better suited for mathematical purposes that measure in radians.
The protractor is typically a semicircle with an inner and outer scale measuring from 0° to 180°.
The angle protractor tool is also used by engineers and designers to get more precise measurements of corners. The bevel protractor is one improved version of the protractor that has one or two swinging arms that can assist in gathering measurements of different angles with even more accuracy.
#13. Ruler.
A ruler is a tool commonly used in the fields of geometry, technical drawing, engineering, or use in the construction industry used to measure distances or draw straight lines.
Rulers are most often seen in commercial fields such as engineering as means of obtaining accurate measurements and/or lines on flat surfaces.
A ruler can be shown with both metric and customary units. The standard distances are shown above the hash marks in centimeters and below the hash marks in inches.
The interval between the hash is referred to as the hash mark, or simply the mark. It is probably safe to say that the ruler is the most used measuring device in use today.
#14. Speedometer.
It is also included in the list of measuring devices that are employed to measure and display the near-instantaneous speed of a vehicle.
They were available as alternatives some time during the early 20th century. At this point in time, these are generally attached to vehicles having already been transitioned to standard equipment since about 1910.
The speed-detecting mechanism of a speedometer is driven by a circular magnet that completes 1,000 revolutions each mile of vehicle travel. Speedometers do have specific names when it comes to different vehicles, and others have different standards of sensing speed as well.
#15. Tape Measure.
A tape measure is a flexible ruler which may be folded into any shape, used for measuring size or distance. In its simplest form, it is basically a ribbon of fabric or plastic marked with measurement units in inches, centimeters, and/or millimeters.
The most common tape measures are 12, 25, or even 100 feet in length. The design enables convenient applications by allowing lengthy measurements to be folded and even assisted with measuring curves or corners. Nowadays they are everywhere, even in miniature form as a fob or novelty.
#16. Thermometer.
Thermometers— as the name suggests—are devices for measuring temperature. They are important for a variety of tasks including manufacturing, scientific study, and medical practice. Thermometers are usually inexpensive, durable, and accurate and are often easy to calibrate.
A thermometer has two components, a temperature sensor in which something changes with temperature change and some means to convert that change into a number.
Thermometers are common for observing measurements in technology and industry, meteorology, medicine, and scientific study.
Closing It Up
As I mentioned, measuring instruments help us a lot in a variety of ways. Without them, we would have a difficult time measuring length, diameter, width, and other dimensions.
If you want to measure symbolically, accurately, and more efficiently, you must have the proper tool and measurement units that are the most accurate possible for the object you are measuring.