The principle of accurate marking-out is that the tool must maintain a true geometric reference; for a divider this means both pointed legs must meet correctly at a common sharp point.

A divider is used to scribe circles and to step off equal distances, and it does this by pivoting on one leg while the other marks the workpiece.

If the two legs are of unequal length, their tips will not meet at the same point, so the pivot and the scribing point no longer share a true centre and every distance stepped off becomes inaccurate.

Therefore, before use the technician should check that both legs are of equal length so the points align and the divider transfers dimensions faithfully.

A shiny surface finish is cosmetic and does not affect measuring accuracy. The colour of the divider has no bearing on its geometry. The weight of the tool does not determine precision; a heavy divider with unequal legs would still mark wrongly.

Accuracy comes from the equal, correctly meeting legs.

Hence, the answer is Both legs are of equal length.