Graduation consists of the equally spaced marks on an instrument that signifies distance. Graduation marks are often etched, scribed, painted, engraved, or printed onto a measuring instrument. They may be linear graduation marks or curved graduation marks, depending on the shape and use of the instrument they are on. The graduation style of an instrument is used to see which scale is being used. There are numerous styles that are represented by a number and the letter R. For example, the 3R graduation scale shows 1/64th, 1/50th, 1/32nd, and 1/10th of an increment. Graduation marks are vital to the accuracy and precision of a final measurement because of the pivotal role they play in determining size. Back to entire glossary