A body fat calculator using calipers is a device that estimates the percentage of body fat in a person’s body. It uses calipers, a specialised tool with two prongs that are pressed against the skin at specific points on the body, to measure the thickness of subcutaneous fat. This measurement, along with other personal data such as age, gender, and height, is then fed into a formula to calculate body fat percentage.
Body fat calculators using calipers are widely used in fitness and medical settings to assess body composition and monitor progress towards health goals. They provide a relatively inexpensive and non-invasive method for estimating body fat percentage compared to more advanced techniques like DEXA scans or bioelectrical impedance analysis. One of the key developments in the history of body fat calipers was the introduction of the Jackson-Pollock 3-site equation in 1978, which improved the accuracy and precision of caliper measurements.