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Ruler From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Ruler (disambiguation). A variety of rulers A 2-meter carpenter's rule Retractable flexible rule or tape measure A closeup of a steel rule A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is an instrument used in geometr y, technical drawing, printing as well as engineering and building to measure di stances or to rule straight lines. The ruler is a straightedge which may also co ntain calibrated lines to measure distances.[1] Contents [hide] 1 Types 2 Ruler applications in geometry 3 History 4 Curved and flexible rulers 5 Philosophy 6 Sticking to the Ruler's Marks 7 See also 8 References 9 Bibliography 10 External links Types[edit source | editbeta] Rulers have long been made of many materials in a wide range of sizes. Some are wooden. Plastics have also been used since they were invented; they can be molde d with length markings instead of being scribed. Metal is used for more durable rulers for use in the workshop; sometimes a metal edge is embedded into a wooden desk ruler to preserve the edge when used for straight-line cutting. 12 inches or 30 cm in length is useful for a ruler to be kept on a desk to help in drawing . Shorter rulers are convenient for keeping in a pocket.[2] Longer rulers, e.g., 18 inches (45 cm) are necessary in some cases. Rigid wooden or plastic yardstic ks, 1 yard long and meter sticks, 1 meter long, are also used. Classically, long measuring rods were used for larger projects, now superseded by tape measure or laser rangefinders. Desk rulers are used for three main purposes: to measure, to aid in drawing stra ight lines and as a straight guide for cutting and scoring with a blade. Practic al rulers have distance markings along their edges. A type of ruler used in the printing industry is called a line gauge. These may be made from a variety of materials, typically metal or clear plastic. Units of measurement on a basic line gauge usually include inches, agate, picas, and poin ts. More detailed line gauges may contain sample widths of lines, samples of com mon type in several point sizes, etc. Measuring instruments similar in function to rulers are made portable by folding (carpenter's folding rule) or retracting into a coil (metal tape measure) when not in use. When extended for use they are straight, like a ruler. The illustrat ions on this page show a 2-meter carpenter's rule which folds down to a length o f 24 cm to easily fit in a pocket, and a 5-meter-long tape which retracts into a small housing.

A flexible length measuring instrument which is not necessarily straight in use is the tailor's fabric tape measure, a length of tape calibrated in inches and c entimeters. It is used to measure around a solid body, e.g., a person's waist me asurement, as well as linear measurement, e.g., inside leg. It is rolled up when not in use, taking up little space. A contraction rule is made having larger divisions than standard measures to all ow for shrinkage of a metal casting. They may also be known as a 'shrinkage or s hrink rule.[3] A ruler software program can be used to measure pixels on a computer screen. Ruler applications in geometry[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Compass and straightedge In geometry, a ruler without any marks on it (a straightedge) may be used only f or drawing straight lines between points. A straightedge is also used to help dr aw accurate graphs and tables. A ruler and compass construction refers to constructions using an unmarked ruler and a compass. It is possible to bisect an angle into two equal parts with rule r and compass. It can be proved, though, that it is impossible to divide an angl e into three equal parts using only a compass and straightedge the problem of an gle trisection. However, should two marks be allowed on the ruler, the problem b ecomes solvable. History[edit source | editbeta]

A wooden carpenter's rule and other tools found on board the 16th century carrac k Mary Rose Rulers made of Ivory were in use by the Indus Valley Civilization period prior t o 1500 BC.[4] Excavations at Lothal (2400 BC) have yielded one such ruler calibr ated to about 1/16 inches (1.6 millimetres).[4] Ian Whitelaw holds that the Mohe njo-Daro ruler is divided into units corresponding to 1.32 inches (33.5 millimet res) and these are marked out in decimal subdivisions with amazing accuracy, to within 0.005 inches (0.13 millimetres). Ancient bricks found throughout the regi on have dimensions that correspond to these units.[5] Anton Ullrich invented the folding ruler in 1851. Curved and flexible rulers[edit source | editbeta] The equivalent of a ruler for drawing or reproducing a smooth curve is known, wh ere it takes the form of a rigid template, as a French curve. A flexible device which can be bent to the desired shape is known as a flat spline, or (in its mor e modern incarnation) a flexible curve. Historically, a flexible lead rule used by masons that could be bent to the curves of a molding was known as a lesbian r ule.[6] Philosophy[edit source | editbeta] Ludwig Wittgenstein famously used rulers as an example in his discussion of lang uage games in the Philosophical Investigations. He pointed out that the standard meter bar in Paris was the criterion against which all other rulers were determ ined to be one meter long, but that there was no analytical way to demonstrate t hat the standard meter bar itself was one meter long. It could only be asserted as one meter as part of a language game. Sticking to the Ruler's Marks[edit source | editbeta] When using a ruler use the smallest mark as the first estimated digit. For examp le if a ruler's smallest mark is cm, and 4.5 cm is read, it is 4.5 (+-.1) or ran ge 4.4 to 4.6 cm. The overal length of a ruler may not be accurate within the degree of the smalle st mark and the marks may be imperfectly spaced within each unit. With both of t hese errors in mind, reading between the marks (to 4.55) does not increase one's confidence in the overall reading and may make it worse.

See also[edit source | editbeta] Portal icon Mathematics portal Dividing engine Golomb ruler Measuring rod Rolling ruler Scale rulers: architect's scale and engineer's scale Significant_figures Accuracy_and_precision References[edit source | editbeta] ^ ^ r ^ ^ ^ ^ Dictionary.com definition "Steel Rule Has Pocket Clip For Use As A Depth Gauge" Popular Science, Decembe 1935 pg.887 bottom right contraction rule Retrieved May 15, 2013 a b Whitelaw, p. 14. Whitelaw, p. 15. "lesbian, adj. and n.". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (subscription required) Bibliography[edit source | editbeta] Look up ruler in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Length measuring devices Whitelaw, Ian (2007). A Measure of All Things: The Story of Man and Measurement. Macmillan. ISBN 0-312-37026-1. External links[edit source | editbeta] Online Ruler [show] v t e Metalworking [show] v t e Types of tools Categories: Dimensional instrumentsMetalworking measuring instrumentsStonemasonr y toolsWoodworking measuring instrumentsStationeryInventions of the Indus Valley Civilization Navigation menu Create accountLog inArticleTalkReadEdit sourceEditbetaView history Search Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact page Toolbox Print/export Languages ??????? Az?rbaycanca ?????????? ????????? Catal Cesky

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