Let us suppose that the vernier moves with the telescope and the circle
is fixed; then when division 0 of the vernier is opposite division 6 on
the circle we know that the telescope is pointing at 6° from zero
measured by the degrees on this scale; but suppose, for instance, it
moves along a little more, we find that line 1 of the vernier is in
contact with and opposite to another on the circle, then the reading is
6° and ⅒°; it moves a little further, and we find that the next line 2,
is opposite to another, reading 6° and 2/10°, a little further still,
and we find the next opposite. It is clear that in this way we have a
readier means of dividing all those spaces into tenths, because if the
length of the vernier is nine circle divisions the length of each
division on the vernier must be as nine is to ten, so that each division
is one-tenth less than that on the circle.
We must therefore move the vernier one-tenth of a circle division, in
order to make the next line correspond. That is to say, when the
division of the vernier marked 0 is opposite to any line, as in the
diagram, the reading is an exact number of degrees; and when the
division 1 is opposite, we have then the number of degrees given by the
division 0 plus one-tenth; when 2 is in contact, plus two-tenths; when 3
is in contact, plus three-tenths; when 4 is in contact, plus
four-tenths, and so on, till we get a perfect contact all through by the
0 of the vernier coming to the next division on the circle, and then we
get the next degree. It is obvious that we may take any other fraction
than to for the vernier to read to, say 1/60, then we take a length of
59 circle divisions on the vernier and divide it into 60, so that each
vernier division is less than a circle division by 1/60. This is a
method which holds its own on most instruments, and is a most useful
arrangement.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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