The length of an object

Question

Hi,This is again about usage of articles.Which one is correct?1. He invented a machine which measures the/(none) length and the/(none) weight of a product.2. He invented a machine which measures  the/(none) height and the/(none) width of a product.3. The machine automatically omits a/the product of green, red, and blue.4. The machine automatically omits a/the product whose price is more than $100.5. The machine automatically omits a/the product made by the artist.I guess 1 and 2 use "the" and 3 to 5 use "a." I'm not sure.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

In 1. & 2., "the" is the natural choice.
If prior context allowed you to omit "of a product," you could also omit "the."
That is, "length" and "weight" would no longer necessarily be definite.

In three through five, prior context would again determine the choice.

Eg, "If there is a red one and a blue one, the machine will reject the blue one."
We're referring to a definite item.

Goxu · Answer

Thank you for taking time for this question. The context for the examples would be like this,

There was a company which sells furniture. The company was looking for a way to cut down personnel expenses. One of the workers knew a person who invented a machine which can censor the length and weight of products. The machine also could automatically omit a/the product of green, red, and blue or a/the product whose price is more than $100.

I should have posted this at first.

Mister Micawber · Answer

There was a company which sells furniture. The company was looking for a way to cut down labor expenses. One of the workers knew a person who invented a machine which can censor the length and weight of products. The machine also could automatically omit a green, red, and (or?) blue product or a product whose price is more than $100.

Goxu · Answer

Thank you so much! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Avangi · Answer

Thanks.

Actually, in making the decision about whether an item is definite or indefinite, we need to look at the text from the point of view of the reader.
Does the prior context make clear to him that we're talking about a particular item?

He invented a machine which measures the/(none) length and the/(none) weight of a product.
As this sentence stands, we need the definite article, because of the phrase "of a product."
Which length and weight? The length and weight of a product.
I know it seems crazy, because "a product" is indefinite. But grammatically speaking, it's specific.

But what if prior context eliminated the need to specify in the sentence itself?
We needed a way to automatically determine certain measurements of the product. So he invented a machine which measures length and weight.
Now we don't need the definite article. From a grammatical point of view, "Weight" and "length" are indefinite.

The second group is a bit easier to explain:
The machine automatically omits a/the product whose price is more than $100.
There's no prior reference to any product with a price greater than $100, so if one happens to exist, it's indefinite (a product.)

If prior context DOES refer to such an item, then it becomes definite:
If there's one item priced above $100 and one below, then the machine automatically rejects the product whose price is more than $100.

I chose "rejects" rather than "omits" because I pictured the product being diverted to a different conveyor.
I now realize the machine may be simply recording (or not recording) the information.

product of green, red, and blue.

This isn't quite idiomatic.

Woops, I see MrM has revised it for us.

The length of an object

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