Engineering datum

When you want to make something, like a toy or a machine, you need to make sure it's made the right way. You can do this by measuring things very carefully and making sure they're in the right place.

An engineering datum is like a special point that helps you measure everything else. It's like the center of a target, and all the other measurements are based on it.

Imagine you wanted to draw a picture of your house. You might start by drawing a big square to represent your backyard. Then you would draw another square to represent your house, with one side touching the big square. This side would be your engineering datum - it's like the starting point for all your other measurements.

You could then measure things like the length and width of your house, and the distances between your windows and doors. You would always use the engineering datum as a reference point.

So, when engineers are designing something, they choose an engineering datum that will help them make all the other measurements accurately. It could be a corner of the object, or a point in the center. Whatever they choose, it will be used as a starting point for all the other measurements.