broken hydrometer

I broke the tip of my triple scale hydrometer. but not much is broken off, it's insides are now exposed to the air and I was wondering if this has any effect to the reading? I hope its still useful and not too off from the reading before it's tip broke.

It's buggered mate. Time to get yourself a new one.

But what if the broken one still weighs 26 grams just like a new one would weigh? Why can't the broken one sill be used?

The ones I've used had a paper scale inside. The broken tip would allow humidity to enter changing the weight and perhaps the scales on the paper.

A new one is $7.29 or less: http://www.nthomebrew.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=1147