In large part this depends on how old the state/province is that you live in. The English used a surveying format of "metes and bounds" which relied on landmarks such as trees, streams, etc. As you can imagine as trees die and streams move due to erosion this causes disputes and difficulty generating property descriptions. As such the original colonies and provinces are often laid out for convenience around animal paths, indian trails, streams, obstructions, etc.
After the US gained independence it had very little authority to tax (subject for another thread) and sought to sell parcels of land in the "West" These parcels are generally laid out in accordance with the Public Land Survey System which sets up an organization of townships (6 miles X 6 miles or 23,040 acres) which is further divided into sections (1 mile X 1 Mile or 640 acres) and further to quarter sections of 160 acres and quarter quarter sections of 40 acres. Thus the original homesteads in most of the midwest United States are 40 acres and leading to the terms "back 40", "40 acres and a mule", etc. As you move West and things get more arid and desolate homesteads were increased to 160 acres or even a whole section of 640 acres. Canada shares quite a bit of history and used a similar system to layout much of the western provinces, I think their grid is based on 1.25 Miles X 1.25 Miles. Of course natural obstructions still have a bearing on roads so even when property descriptions are generally in accordance with this system roads often follow valleys, ridges, streams. It is pretty easy to see the system from the air when flying over the midwest especially over the prairie states.
I did a quick google search and came up with the link which has more detail.
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Today's Featured Article - Measuring with Calipers - by Staff. The legs of inside calipers are curved outward at the extremities to facilitate measuring small holes, while outside caliper legs have a large curve inward to increase their capacity for large work. Firm-joint calipers are adjusted approximately by the hands and then set to the feel of the work by tapping them on a metal surface. It is a common practice when opening calipers by this means to tap the top of the joint. It is better, if possible, to tap the inside of the legs, as repeated blo
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