(Mahr: Providence, RI) -- In the world of high-precision metrology, all parts are elastic, which means they will deform to some extent under applied force, even if only by a few millionths of an inch. But certain parts, like thin-walled bearing rings, deform much more readily than others, to the point where it is extremely difficult for quality control technicians to obtain accurate measurements of their undeformed size. In other applications, such as precision balls and spheres, standards call for reporting size in an undeformed state, which frequently calls for a theoretical calculation.

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