Excerpt from Precision Measurement and Fundamental Constants: Proceedings of the International Conference Held at the National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland, August 3-7, 1970 In all of our fundamental theories there appear a certain few parameters which characterize the fundamental particles and interactions we find in nature. These are the fundamental physical constants. The precision determination of the numerical values of these constants has long been and remains one of the principal objectives of experimental science. This is not because there is any intrinsic virtue in accumulating lists of ever longer numbers, but because the fundamental constants are the quantitative links between our most basic theories and the physical reality we wish them to describe. Our theories must stand or fall according to their ability to make quantitative predictions which agree with experimental observations to the maximum accuracy possible. The progress of our understanding of the physical world is therefore very much intertwined with the advance of the art of precision measurement and its application to the determination of the fundamental physi cal constants. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.