The Electronic Protractor: Who Uses It & Why

By Carey Bourdier


We've all probably used a basic protractor in a geometry class, and these are handy tools to use if you want to measure an angle. There are quite a few other types of protractors out there and many are far more sophisticated than those we used in grammar school or high school. Electronic protractors, also called digital protractors or perhaps a digital angle gauge make measuring angles a snap. Some of these digital devices resemble the typical bevel protractor but some just look like a box with a digital readout.

The electronic protractor is handy because it calculates angle measurements easily and exactly, and it even works in two different ways. One mode, the horizontal mode, can be used to simple calculate the measurement of one single horizontal angle. This quickly will provide you with the measurement in its digital readout.

With the relative measurement mode one can take measurements of two surfaces. You place the protractor on the first angled surface and take the readings, place zero to clear the reading and place the protractor on the second angled surface. The reading will show the difference between the first angle and the second.

If you were wondering what types of workers or professional would use an electronic protractor, the answer is there are many applications. For instance, land surveyors often will use a digital protractor or inclinometer to measure the slope of land. Civil engineers building skyscrapers, bridges and roads also will use the digital protractor for similar purposes. Foresters might use this device to learn more about the heights of trees in our nation's forests.

Doctors can use a digital protractor to measure a person's spinal angles or perhaps the pelvis or even to check the range of motion of different joints. An astronomer, either professional or an amateur, might use an electronic protractor to ensure that a telescope is set up properly. If you are a soldier learning how to accomplish long-range shooting, a digital protractor can help make sure that your gun is lined up correctly so that you reach your target exactly.

These applications are just some instances where an electronic protractor can be used. The uses are limitless providing there are angle measurements to be taken. This is a useful tool for anyone who works with angles, which is a wide range of field of study and professionalism. These include structural engineers, land surveyors, geophysicists, soldiers, carpenters and so on. An electronic protractor can be useful for recreational, home and commercial purposes.




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