Goniometer

The bevel protractor consists of a beam, a graduated dial, and a blade which is connected to a swivel plate (with Vernier scale) by a thumb nut and clamp.

When the edges of the beam and blade are parallel, a small mark on the swivel plate coincides with the zero line on the graduated dial.

To measure an angle between the beam and the blade of 90° or less, the reading may be obtained directly from the graduation number on the dial indicated by the mark on the swivel plate.

The application of triangulation to geodesy was described in the second (1533) edition of Cosmograficus liber by Petri Appiani as a 16-page appendix by Frisius entitled Libellus de locorum describendorum ratione.

The operator could then measure the angle to the target radio source by performing direction finding within this small area.

The groundbreaking investigations of physicist Max von Laue and colleagues into the atomic structure of crystals in 1912 involved a goniometer.

Goniophotometers measure the spatial distribution of light visible to the human eye (often luminous intensity) at specific angular positions, usually covering all spherical angles.

When a patient has decreased range of motion, a therapist assesses the joint before performing an intervention, and continues to use the tool to monitor progress.

Finally, the therapist lines up the moveable arm of the goniometer with the lateral malleolus of the fibula, and records a measurement using the degree scale on the circular portion of the tool.

Issues with the intra-measure (between measures) and inter-tester (between clinicians) reliability may increase as the experience of the examiner decreases.

Recent research supports these applications and their devices as reliable and valid tools with as much accuracy as a universal goniometer.

Today's contact angle goniometer uses a camera and software to capture and analyze the drop shape, and is better suited for dynamic and advanced studies.

A positioning goniometer or goniometric stage is a device that rotates an object precisely about a fixed axis in space.

The included cutting angles of all kinds of sharp edge blades are measured using a laser reflecting goniometer.

Developed by the Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association (CATRA) in the UK, a range of devices can accurately determine the cutting edge profile, including a rounding of the tip to ½°.

Goniometer made by Develey le Jeune in Lausanne, late 18th–early 19th century
A half-circle protractor marked in degrees (180°).
A half-circle bevel protractor
A universal bevel protractor.
Manual (1), and Mitscherlich's optical (2) goniometers for use in crystallography, c. 1900
Surface scientists use a contact angle goniometer to measure contact angle , surface energy and surface tension .
Contact angle measurement.
In a contact angle measurement, the angle between the droplet and solid surface indicates the wettability of the surface.
Surface tension exists because the molecules inside a liquid experience roughly equal cohesive forces in all directions, but molecules at the surface experience larger attractive forces toward the liquid than toward gas.
A miniature electro-mechanical goniometer stage. This type of stage is used primarily in the field of lasers and optics.