 Caliper

A caliper measures a dimension by relating the separation of contacting measuring faces to a scale or readout. A sliding-jaw caliper has a fixed jaw and a movable jaw; appropriate faces can measure outside dimensions, inside dimensions or steps, while a depth bar can supply a separate depth measurement. These modes use different contact geometries even when they share one slider.^[ref]

A Vernier scale, dial or electronic readout converts slider position into a measurement indication. It does not remove the need to align the contacts with the desired length. For an outside measurement, the opposed faces must meet the intended surfaces without dirt, excessive force or tilt. An inside measurement uses its designated faces and can require geometry-specific corrections; it is not merely the outside-jaw reading with a different label.

An original small-angle calculation shows why jaw geometry matters. Suppose the displacement reference and contact point are separated by $h=40\mathrm{mm}$, and a moving-jaw tilt produces angle $\theta =0.002\mathrm{rad}$. The resulting offset contribution has magnitude approximatelyIt exceeds a $0.05\mathrm{mm}$ reading increment. These are stipulated dimensions and tilt, not a measured error for a particular caliper. The primary guide gives the same lever-arm mechanism for caliper jaw tilt error and identifies contact force, wear and thermal differences as physical error sources.^[ref]

A useful check closes clean outside faces under consistent light force, then compares readings at several separations with suitable calibrated artefacts such as gauge blocks. Repeating the comparison near different contact positions can reveal a geometry-dependent error that a single zero check misses. Apply a Vernier zero correction when using that readout, while retaining uncertainty from the reference, alignment and repeatability.

The measurement result concerns the specified object dimension under stated conditions, not just slider displacement. Thermal expansion of either the object or instrument, deformation under contact force and the selected faces belong in the measurement model. More displayed digits or a finer scale cannot by themselves establish better measurement accuracy.