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A sense of scale

I_gotta_rock

By I_gotta_rock
in General Fossil Discussion

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I_gotta_rock Regular Member

I_gotta_rock

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Stupid question #436

My 19th century books don't tell what scale they are using on their bars cm or mm typically?

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Kane Regular Member

Kane

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My guess is that they would have been using imperial measures such as inches. 

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Tidgy's Dad Regular Member

Tidgy's Dad

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In which country were the books published?

If the USA or UK the scales may be in 16ths of an inch or inches. 

France or Germany etc. probably metric.  

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I_gotta_rock Regular Member

I_gotta_rock

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5 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

In which country were the books published?

If the USA or UK the scales may be in 16ths of an inch or inches. 

France or Germany etc. probably metric.  

Ah! Yes the items in question are too small for it to be inches, but they are US books, so they must be 16ths of an inch. Dang it! American I may be, but I can't work in 16ths of an inch. It took me long enough to get used to seeing in mm!

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I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world.

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DPS Ammonite Regular Member

DPS Ammonite

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Show us an example including the photo/ drawing description. Somewhere they should say what scale they are using regardless of what measuring system they are using.

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BobWill Regular Member

BobWill

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If the scales have dividing marks see if they divide a space into halves, fourths, eighths etc. or into 5 or 10 units. Then simply use common sense to judge how big that would make a typical specimen if it were inches, millimeters or centimeters.

Edited by BobWill
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DPS Ammonite Regular Member

DPS Ammonite

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19 minutes ago, BobWill said:

If the scales have dividing marks see if they divide a space into halves, fourths, eighths etc. or into 5 or 10 units. Then simply use common sense to judge how big that would make a typical specimen if it were inches, millimeters or centimeters.


I have measured an item by 10ths of an inch. Not sure if I have actually used a measuring device that was marked in 10ths of an inch, but they exist.

8FC4B817-ED3A-4EEA-A7BF-3F087FE5D762.jpeg

My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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BobWill Regular Member

BobWill

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9 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said:


I have measured an item by 10ths of an inch. Not sure if I have actually used a measuring device that was marked in 10ths of an inch, but they exist.

 

Machinists use it some but it's unlikely someone publishing a paleontology book would.

 

Edited by BobWill
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