Precautionary Steps While Taking Measurements

By:VerniersCaliper.com

Define:
Often during experiments or in the industry
there is a very small margin of error. Some of
that error is due to the environmental
conditions or inherent in the procedure which
we cannot control. The other part is due to
human error and errors in the system. These
errors lie within our control and can be
eliminated if the proper measures are taken
otherwise the measurements can be
significantly inaccurate which is obviously
undesirable.

Precautions
These precautions are necessary to minimize
any errors which can affect the accuracy of
the measurement. In this article we will list a
few important things which should be
considered while using a vernier caliper for
measurement.

No 1
The most common form of error associated
with measuring instruments is the parallax
error. Parallax is a term which originates from
the Greek word parallaxis which means
alteration.
Parallax error occurs when an object is observed
from an angle. This makes the object appear
at a slightly different position than it really is
and can lead us to take a wrong reading on a
measuring scale. To eliminate this error the
observer should position his eyes directly
above the scale when taking theMain Scale
reading and the VernierCoincidence.

No 2
Care should be taken that all readings taken
during the measurement are in the same unit
system. e.g. MKS system which uses the units
meter, kilogram and second for measurement
of length, weight and time. Another frequently
used system is the CGS system which uses
the units of centimeter, gram and second. If
any measurements are taken in a unit in
another system it should be converted to the
appropriate units before being used in any
calculations.

No 3
While gripping the object to be measured,
application of excessive force on the jaws
should be avoided. The object should always
be gripped gently between the jaws. This is
extremely important while measuring objects
which are easily deformable e.g. wires.

No 4
Before taking any measurements, make sure
thevernier caliper does not have a zero error.
This can be checked by bringing the jaws of
the caliper in contact with each other. The
zero markings on the vernier scale and the
main scale should align at this point. If not
then there is a zero error and the appropriate
corrections should be applied.

No 5
The surface of the object which needs to be
measured should be cleaned and dried with a
cloth soaked in cleaning oil.

No 6
The same should be done with the instrument
cover.

No 7
The lower jaws should be opened slightly and
their inner surface should be cleaned and
dried with a cloth gently. This should be
repeated with the upper jaws as well.

No 8
Loosen the locking key of the vernier caliper
and make sure there is no friction between
the scales while moving the jaws of the
vernier caliper.

In the case of a digital vernier caliper

the following additional steps should be
taken:

Bring the jaws in contact with each other and

then press the on/off button. Check the
reading and make sure it is zero.
Move the slider and check whether all the
buttons and the LCD display are working
properly.

While Taking Measurements there

are big chances of getting an
error to understand more about
the precautions
read this article.