Mètre pliant

A meterstick, metrestick, or yardstick is either a straightedge or foldable ruler used to measure length, and is especially common in the construction industry. They are often made of wood or plastic, and often have metal or plastic joints so that they can be folded together. Normal length of a meterstick made for the international market is either one or two meters, while a yardstick made for the U.S. market is typically one yard (3 feet or 0.9144 meters) long. Metersticks are usually divided with lines for each millimeter (1000 per meter) and numerical markings per centimeter (100 per meter), with numbers either in centi- or millimeter. Yardsticks are most often marked with a scale in inches, but sometimes also feature marks for foot increments. Hybrid sticks with more than one measurement system also exist, most notably those which have metric measurements on one side and U.S. customary units on the other side (or both on the same side). The "tumstock" (literally "thumbstick", meaning "inch-stick") invented in 1883 by the Swedish engineer Karl-Hilmer Johansson Kollén was the first such hybrid stick, and was developed with the goal to help Sweden convert to the metric system. Metersticks are often thin and rectangular, and made of wood or metal. Metal ones are often backed with a 'grippy' material, such as cork, to improve friction. They are relatively cheap, with most wood models costing under US$5. In countries in which the metric system is used, the scale typically contains only a metric scale. The scale marks every millimetre with every 5th millimetre marked by a slightly longer line. Every centimetre is marked with an even longer line and a numeric label. Every 10th centimetre is usually predominantly marked. They might be referred to as yardsticks, metersticks or "inch sticks". In the United States, the marking is usually in customary units (three feet in with inch and fractional inch). Hybrid mesures bearing customary markings on one side and metric units on the other also exist and are sometimes referred to as yardsticks, metersticks or "meter rulers".