Caliper with a zero error

An example figure from the Length Reading Generator.

Two 0.1 mm calipers: above, with its jaws closed, reading 0.3 mm; below, holding block A, reading 27.6 mm, each with a close-up strip of its scales — The same 0.1 mm caliper twice. Above, with its jaws closed, the sliding scale’s zero sits just past the main scale’s zero and its 3rd mark lines up: a zero error of +0.3 mm. Below, holding block A, it reads 27.6 mm. Students take the zero error off the reading: the block is 27.3 mm long.

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Answer key

Reading: main scale 27 mm + sliding scale mark 6 × 0.1 mm = 27.6 mm
Zero error (jaws closed): main scale 0 mm + sliding scale mark 3 × 0.1 mm = +0.3 mm
Corrected reading: 27.6 mm − (+0.3 mm) = 27.3 mm

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