Dial Indicator

What is Dial Indicator?

A precision measuring instrument that converts a tiny linear movement of its plunger into a magnified, easily read rotation of a needle on a dial — sensitive enough to catch deviations invisible to the naked eye, like a shaft running slightly out of true.

The five clues

Engineerdle #62 described Dial Indicator with five clues, revealed one at a time from hardest to most direct. Each clue points at a different property of the concept.

1. 01An instrument that turns a tiny linear motion into an easily readable rotation of a needle.
2. 02Its plunger, pressed against a surface, moves a needle around a dial as the surface shifts.
3. 03Machinists use it to check whether a rotating part is running perfectly true.
4. 04It can detect a deviation far too small for the naked eye to ever notice.
5. 05The precision instrument with a needle and dial used to measure tiny linear displacements.