On the distribution of the systematic error in the direct measurement of distances

Summary An examination is made of the error of alignment of bars (tapes, wires) in the rectilinear measurement of distance between two points in space. This is evidently a systematic error, of which one derives the frequency function. Starting from the two dimensional case for which we obtain a general formula for the moments, it is possible to determine the frequency function in the three-dimensional case being examined, and a closed formula for its moments.