ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Geometric tolerance

Geometric tolerance is like giving directions to a friend on how to draw a picture. Let's say you want your friend to draw a square. You could tell your friend to draw four lines that are exactly the same length and connect them at right angles to make a square. But what if you also want to make sure that the corners of the square are perfectly square and the sides are straight?

This is where geometric tolerance comes in. You might tell your friend to draw the square within a certain amount of tolerance, which means they can draw a square that's a little bit off from your exact specifications, but it still meets your requirements. For example, you might say that the tolerance is +/- 0.1 inches, which means your friend can draw a square that's up to 0.1 inches bigger or smaller than your exact specifications.

Geometric tolerance is used in engineering and manufacturing to ensure that parts fit together properly and work as intended. Just like how you might use geometric tolerance to make sure your friend draws a square that's exactly the right size and shape, engineers and manufacturers use geometric tolerance to make sure that the parts they create are the correct size and shape, and fit together properly.