Join FunTrivia for Free: Hourly trivia games, quizzes, community, and more!
Fun Trivia
Ask FunTrivia: Questions and Answers
Answers to 100,000 Fascinating Questions
Welcome to FunTrivia's Question & Answer forum!

Search All Questions


Please cite any factual claims with citation links or references from authoritative sources. Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims.

Archived Questions

Goto Qn #


How do you measure the distance between two points on a curved surface and what instrument would you use?

Question #11241. Asked by Mermaid.

Gnomon
Answer has 3 votes
Currently Best Answer
Gnomon
24 year member
1331 replies

Answer has 3 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
There is an instrument called an opisometer which is like a wheel on the end of a stick. You can roll the wheel along the line on the curved surface and it counts the revolutions. Distance can be calculated from this. Alternatively, for measuring short distances you can roll it backwards along a straight line until the wheel is back in the start position and measure how far you've gone.

Mar 28 2001, 12:30 PM
free email trivia FREE! Get a new mixed Fun Trivia quiz each day in your email. It's a fun way to start your day!


arrow Your Email Address:

Sign in or Create Free User ID to participate in the discussion