Or the Measurement of Rules
By Chuck Lynch
Measurement has probably existed in some rudimentary form, as long as man has socialized. Early measure used the body as the standard. As we have industrialized, we have pursued greater levels of precision to yield repeatable results and products. We have taken sub-measurement to what was once unfathomable.
Some examples of slicing the larger measurement into standards that we use in our shops each day are inch or millimeter. We speak a language that people often do not understand. We say a thou, a tenth, a mil, etc. This jargon goes against the rules generally taught in math courses but nonetheless, is how machinists speak.