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Is there a name for the method used to measure the diameter of a ball, specifically, using two wooden blocks and measuring the gap between them?

Justin
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  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calipers – G. Smith Jan 07 '21 at 20:07
  • @G.Smith - But that would be a device, right? I'm looking for a method that involves placing an object between 2 blocks and measuring the distance between them. – Justin Jan 07 '21 at 20:12
  • How would you know whether the blocks are parallel? – G. Smith Jan 07 '21 at 20:18
  • I guess I could draw parallel lines using a ruler and place the edges of the blocks on the lines... something like that. – Justin Jan 07 '21 at 20:31
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    Are you sure this method has a name? Isn't it just "measuring" with some unusual tools? – jng224 Jan 07 '21 at 21:39
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    My previous comment was obtuse. You measure the separation on both sides of the ball and if is the same then the blocks are parallel. – G. Smith Jan 07 '21 at 21:50

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The field is called metrology and a encompasses a broad variety of specialized measurement tools.

For example, precise diameter measurements of spherical objects is done with a device called a roller micrometer, in which the balls are fed into the gap between two counter-rotating cylinders whose axies are very slightly angled. the balls roll towards the wide end of the gap and fall through when their diameter is less than the gap spacing. By placing separate bins along the length of the gap, the roller mike can sort the balls into different sizes.

niels nielsen
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