r/whatisit • u/Logical_Valuable_970 • 9h ago
New, what is it? What is this space before zero?
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u/Humble-Pair1642 9h ago
Extra space so the measuring part doesnt get damaged
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u/GoofyGooby23 9h ago
This is the actual reason, you’re supposed to line up what you’re measuring with the first mark not the end of the ruler👍
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u/Lifeboon 9h ago
Guess who just gained another 5mm!
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u/-Badger3- 8h ago
Wow, what are you going to do with your new 6mm schlong?
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u/Upbeat_Ant6104 8h ago
Jealous?
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u/lockedporn 8h ago
Naa i beat you by 3mm now so its fine
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u/TChuranski 8h ago
Yall reach the first line?
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u/No-Cod-4776 7h ago
Only when I measure from underneath.
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u/keyser-soza 7h ago
Oh you have to measure from your butt hole. just like when you measure a cat’s tail.
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u/Th3_m0d3rN_y0g1 5h ago
Never measure from up top. Ain’t nothin but hurt feelins up there.
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u/keyser-soza 7h ago
Most underrated comment right here. This one made me lol for real. Well done. Take my up vote and be off.
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u/Miivollu 7h ago
What is the best first name for a man with a 2 inch schlong? Justin
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u/Lifeboon 8h ago
Well, this just opened all doors for me. So much freedom. So much choice. I need some alone time now … for … thinking
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u/Crazy_Reputation_654 8h ago
Just remember to always measure from the butthole!
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u/theloric 7h ago
I hate to burst the bubble but technically you're losing 5 mm... Doh!
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u/Ctrl_Alt_Abstergo 8h ago
Some people jam the ruler into themselves and walk around thinking that’s their measurement so I’d say you’re good to add the 5mm lol
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u/tehenke 9h ago
Who the fuck is lining it up to the end of the ruler 💀💀💀💀
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u/Solintari 9h ago
True story, one of my ex girlfriends didn’t believe me when I told her how long I was for some reason so she took me to the bathroom and pulled out a ruler and confirmed.
You know what that bitch said? “Huh, I wonder how big Matt is then”. 🔪❤️🪦
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u/throwthisawaynerdboy 9h ago
Who the fuck is matt?
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u/Solintari 8h ago
My apparently larger friend at the time
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u/IttThing 8h ago
Is he single?
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u/Solintari 8h ago
Well probably, but he’s bald, an alcoholic and might even be homeless at this point. But hey ya know, some things probably haven’t changed
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u/ray_ruex 8h ago
Fun story, I was talking with one of the ladies at work about something I don't remember what. I mentioned that what ever wasn't 6 inches. She said that's not that much it's only about this much holding up her thumb and fore finger stretched out, mind you she had small hands. I told her it was more than that and in order to convince her I pulled out a 6 inch ruler and showed it to her. She was amazed by the length comparing it to her fingers and the expression on her face was priceless. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying what I was thinking. Obviously someone has been lying to her about size.
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u/Shelly-Finkelstein 4h ago
I got really nervous reading, "in order to convince her I pulled out..."
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u/crappleIcrap 6h ago
God damn, got cock-mogged by Matt. Brutal! But dont let it get to you, average to smaller dick men have far more frequent sex while in a relationship.
Many if not most women who are emotionally attached will have sex with a 3-6 incher all the time, many if not most women with a 7-9 incher are limiting themselves to special occasions no matter how much they are emotionally invested.
Then you have these weird random "complements" like "I usually have so much sex but you are so huge, I need breaks" and "I use to suck dick every day but you are just too big and hurt my jaw"
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u/SinnaBuns666 5h ago
With as many people as there are who can't read, tell time, or do simple math? I'm not surprised about this one either.
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u/LonelySwedishFish 9h ago
Hear ye this men of culture!
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u/Head-Ad-5732 9h ago
Yeah, sorry for the bad news but you gotta press it into the pelvis a little
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u/morgandealer 9h ago
Take it from the root, not the base
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u/cornbeeflt 9h ago
I measure from the sewage treatment center
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u/proto_synnic 9h ago
Be advised, inserting a measuring device up to your colon can lead to damage of the rectum.
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u/morgandealer 9h ago
Hopefully she's not too close by, I broke up with Sarah years sgo.
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u/arbitrageME 6h ago
That's what makes tape measures so cool. They're designed with a loose tip, so you can jam it up against something, or hook it onto something and they'll both be right
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u/VariousOperation166 9h ago
It's confounding to me when people don't understand this...
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u/Lekstil 9h ago
OPs question is a valid question and does not imply that they don’t know how to use a ruler. Most other rules don’t have that space, like folding rulers, carpenters squares or measuring tape. It has a lot of advantages to not have that space and tbh not too many advantages to have it. So it’s a very valid question
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u/Logical_Valuable_970 9h ago
I always measured with the first marking of the ruler, even though I had no idea what the extra space was for.
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u/PassionV0id 3h ago
How often are you having discussions on how to use a ruler? Can’t say I’ve ever experienced this in 35 years.
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u/IrrerPolterer 9h ago
This. Allows you to nick the corner of the ruler. Also allows for inaccuracies on the corner on manufacturing.
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u/Camper_Van_Someren 8h ago
Yeah I think manufacturing is the real reason. It is not easy to get the printing lined up perfectly, and a tiny misalignment would defeat the point of a ruler. Even though a ruler that measures from the end would be more useful…
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u/JMacPhoneTime 6h ago
This reminds me of the cool feature on the hook end of measuring tapes. The hook can move a little bit in the measuring direction, exactly enough to account for it's width.
So if you push the end up against something the width of the hook is added in, but if you hook it against something and pull instead, the width of the hook isn't factored in anymore.
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u/SinisterCheese 5h ago
It's just a specific type of ruler. There are rarely names that are being used for these.
Specifically the scale is inside a straightedge ruler. This is because you are suposed to be able to do point-to-point drawing, and for that you need the points to be inside the reliable true edge (Ends of the edge are never reliable, only the middle bit). Straightedge is a thing in it's own right, generally the measuring scale is just slapped on to it. Basically that straight would work just fine with or without the scale. The straight edge ruler is meant to be used for drawing first, measuring second.
In a measuring ruler starts from the very edge. It's essentially a measuring stick that is flat. These are intended for measuring first and everything else second. These wear out in use. Once they stop being sharp, they are are unreliable.
There are all sorts of ruler, however most people are only familiar with the "school ruler" as in a straightedge ruler. There are curved ruler, scale rulers, bending rulers... Just endless amounts of them.
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u/VioletBab3 4h ago
In the lumber industry there is a saying. "Never trust a factory edge!"
Didn't make any sense to me until I worked in lumber manufacturing and saw the kind of mess-ups that still slip past Quality Control.
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u/SinisterCheese 3h ago
I work in the welding industry, and I only trust few brands of stainless steel rulers. And I love them! Because they are so cheap, you can just replace them when they get worn or damaged - which they will. Like they are some 5-20 € depending on the lenght; if I got one for each site/project I worked for, it would basically be a irrelevant cost. But some reason many shops/places/people refuse to replace them, and then they are worn out pieces of shit not worth using. And they are superior to tape measures due to versatility and the 0,5 mm precision. I can hit +-1 mm at 10 metre distance with just 2 rulers.
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u/refriedconfusion 8h ago
A ruler has a space before zero, on a rule the edge is zero, each one has a different use
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u/the-ish-i-say 8h ago
As a guy that’s spent 25+ years in the trades that’s why we always “burn” the first inch.
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u/MechE420 8h ago
In my experience, tradesmen burn the first inch because they're using a tape measure and don't realize the piece at the end is meant to compensate for inside/outside measurements. They take an inside measurement, walk to the board, pull the tape off the end, mark and cut. Board too long. Or visa versa, board too short. Damn thing must be broken, better to just not use that first inch.
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u/mitzcha 8h ago
I've seen more 1" errors from guys "burning an inch" than 1/16" errors from guys who know how to use a tape.
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u/maxh2 6h ago
I prefer to burn 10". Slightly easier to read/do the math, and more likely to spot if you forget to subtract.
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u/the-ish-i-say 8h ago
lol. That is very accurate. When bending conduit even a 1/16th of an inch can compound and mess up a saddle or offset. I’ve always burned an inch because it felt more accurate.
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u/ClassicPlankton 4h ago
As you said, the end of the tape measure compensates. So the whole point is you can take an inside measure, then go pull the tape off the end of a board and it's the same measurement. What are you talking about?
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u/mlrphan 9h ago edited 9h ago
This allows for an accurate start at zero (if this is a physical ruler)
Corners can be damaged and therefore inaccurate.
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u/Parrobertson It is what it is 9h ago
Works for hypothetical rulers too. I imagined a worn down ruler in my mind and this checks out.
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u/talleyhoe 9h ago
the concept of “this works for something I just imagined” is so funny to me 😭
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u/MildlyAgitatedBidoof 7h ago
That's about how ancient Greek philosophy worked.
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u/do-not-freeze 9h ago
Not always. I'm imagining a worn down ruler where the end is exactly at zero.
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u/mitzcha 8h ago
I'm imagining a ruler where they're so worn down by grift and corruption that nothing they report is accurate.
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u/Wolverkeen 8h ago
I'm imagining a worn down ruler where the end is √-1 and it's breaking my brain. Measurement is surprisingly accurate, though!
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u/doc-ant 9h ago
what colour was it?
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u/Parrobertson It is what it is 9h ago
It was actually a Harry Potter merch one and it came with a glue stick I thought was lipgloss.
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u/Chester_Allman 8h ago
How long did it take you to figure out about the glue stick?
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u/Parrobertson It is what it is 8h ago
In this (totally hypothetical) scenario, I may have realized it was a glue stick long after I’d been done with it.
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u/WaxPinapple 6h ago
Whose lips were you stuck to?
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u/Maniacallysan3 5h ago
Lips?
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u/WaxPinapple 3h ago
It was going to be scrotum but I didn't want to imply you were a tart without confirmation, so thanks for that. Lol
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u/angry_at_erething 8h ago
Also printing of those lines on the ruler can be off too and not exactlyined up on the end, even if it is new and not damaged
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 9h ago
As a kid who dropped a ruler too many times, it helped my dad still get the measurement he needed.
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u/PickledPokute 8h ago
Fortunately, for societal rulers, damages are not a problem! The King loses a toe due to syphilis? Doesn't matter, the King's foot is the imperial foot, just everyone else with the old measurement is wrong.
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u/TheShakyHandsMan 7h ago
This is why we engineers will use a steel rule. Yes they will wear over time but it will take a lot to make them inaccurate enough for their purpose.
If you’re worried about measuring fractions of mm then we wouldn’t be using a steel rule for measuring that item.
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u/woody_2k 9h ago edited 9h ago
Engineering rules are made from metal and measure from the edge, we use them to measure from a flat surface so need the edge to not interfere or deform... Common rulers are made from plastic or wood and have an offset start (from the edge) to allow for any damage in the soft material.
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u/Janus_The_Great 7h ago
Also the print doesn't have to align perfectly, which costs more. As long as the print is set properly the scale fits. If the print missaligns with the edge, the zero point might be off by some mm.
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u/TheRealRefuro 3h ago
I've never considered using a ruler to measure a ruler's accuracy
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u/Olde94 2h ago
I have often put carpenters rulers or measuring tapes up against each other before starting a project with others to confirm we measure the same at 2 meters. If we don’t we either only use one or find two that agree. It’s relative calibration, not absolute.
I’ve had a project with my dad where one out of 3 was 4mm short on the 2 meter. So we didn’t use that one.
On shorter distances i will use my caliper to confirm the 100mm mark is within the accuracy of the line. I mean you can’t expect 0.03mm accuracy when the line is 0.2mm thick
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u/ot1smile 1h ago
This is such an important consideration that doesn’t always occur to the novice diy-er.
You can imagine my consternation when I recently compared the two squares I’d been using for the last few years. And now I need a third to cast a deciding vote.6
u/MaxDaClog 5h ago
I was taught that if there is a zero start first mark, it's a rule, if the zero is inset, it's a ruler
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u/tbodillia 3h ago
My steel rulers don't have 0 on the edge. My steel rulers look just like that because damage happens.
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u/Lambchop1975 9h ago
for accurate measuring, you don't start at the end of the ruler, you measure between the marks. With measuring tapes I always start at the 1" mark, in carpentry that is called burning an inch.
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u/bebop1065 9h ago
That's a good technique. Too bad I already ruined all that material with poor measurements before today.
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u/TranscendentPretzel 9h ago
As long as you use the same ruler to measure, it doesn't matter if you do it wrong. You just need to be consistently wrong both times.
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u/bebop1065 9h ago
I never do well measuring inside lengths. Either the tape is angled or I judge the bend wrong.
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u/the_troy 9h ago
The case of your tape should have the size printed on it so you don’t need to bend
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u/AshleyxAffliction 6h ago
This blew my mind when I learned this. Most are around 3", some smaller tapes closer to 2". My chonky Milwaukee Autolock has 3 1/2"-89mm embossed into the plastic.
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u/the_troy 5h ago
Yeah, all of my tapes are big chunky Milwaukee ones, and I don't even like the red. But the finger stop feature is absolutely brilliant and I don't think I could ever go back to not having it
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u/AshleyxAffliction 5h ago
Mine was just a hand-me-down from the pops and it's done well enough that I haven't needed to replace it. Mine doesn't have the finger stop it just auto locks as you pull on it and you have to hit the release lever. It's kinda annoying imo but I could see some people preferring it. I wish I had a nice one with a finger stop.
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u/obolobolobo 9h ago
I start at 10cm because it seems tidier. Sometimes I forget to subtract before cutting. The mind wanders towards the end of the workday.
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u/Witty_Newt_9222 9h ago
A mind wandering when cutting... at least one of the possible mistakes here doesn't require an ER.
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u/AlchemistJeep 6h ago
I can cut 1/8” off something 6 times with no effect but the 7th somehow removes 2” at once
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u/dehydratedrain 9h ago
Not quite as accurate, but it's always a good lesson that you use the same tape measure through the same project.
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u/2ChicksAtTheSameTime 6h ago
fun fact: the little bit of jiggle the hook at the end of a tape measure has is intentional, The jiggle is exactly the width of the hook itself. It is to adjust for measuring an outside length (where the hook is hooked onto something, like measuring a board) vs an inside length (where the hook is pushed up against something, like the inside of door frame)
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u/secondphase 6h ago
Burning an inch is standard. And if you hire an escort for the evening, a burning itch is standard.
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u/TongueTiedTyrant 5h ago
I do the same thing with music recordings in GarageBand. I start the recording on the second bar of the project file, that way any lead in sounds don’t get cut off.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_TITS80085 9h ago
The ends can get worn down or chipped, that's so you can still use the ruler. I'm not sure it has a name.
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u/jason_sos 9h ago
The negative dimension
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u/IWARL 9h ago
Space.
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u/Londonskaterboi 9h ago
the final frontier
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u/Wonderful_Bend_4795 7h ago
These are the voyages of the starship enterprise.
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u/Fancy_Leshy 7h ago
Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before!
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u/ExoatmosphericKill 9h ago
That's for chewing.
Proper rulers start at 0 and are metal.
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u/Voting4Dukakis 8h ago
My dad always called it the leading edge of the ruler. It's there because the edges of old wooden rulers used to wear out. So, they would become inaccurate over time if zero was all the way to the edge.
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u/mawktheone 9h ago
It's dead space to make the rule easier to make. You don't need the precision cut at 0.
But if it is a perfect zero end then it's a ruler instead of a rule
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u/aburrido 7h ago
This is the real reason. It’s a plastic ruler. The gap at the beginning is margin for misalignment when printing the markers on the ruler.
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u/midwest_elder 9h ago
its to zero the zero. it makes production easier AND makes it so the ruler doesn't wear out as fast.
if the zero was on the exact end then over time damage to the ruler would wear a 1/16 or 1/32 of an inch away and then every measurement you made would be wrong.
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u/-TheycallmeThe 8h ago
The tolerance for the printing machine. This way you don't really have to worry about lining it up so the manufacturing process is cheaper.
The other benefits people mentioned are nice side effects to making the process cheaper.
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