World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement

World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement

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  • Author: Robert P. Crease
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
  • ISBN: 0393082040
  • Category : Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 321

The epic story of the invention of a global network of weights, scales, and instruments for measurement. Millions of transactions each day depend on a reliable network of weights and measures. This network has been called a greater invention than the steam engine, comparable only to the development of the printing press. Robert P. Crease traces the evolution of this international system from the use of flutes to measure distance in the dynasties of ancient China and figurines to weigh gold in West Africa to the creation of the French metric and British imperial systems. The former prevailed, with the United States one of three holdout nations. Into this captivating history Crease weaves stories of colorful individuals, including Thomas Jefferson, an advocate of the metric system, and American philosopher Charles S. Peirce, the first to tie the meter to the wavelength of light. Tracing the dynamic struggle for ultimate precision, World in the Balance demonstrates that measurement is both stranger and more integral to our lives than we ever suspected.


The Oxford Handbook of the History of Physics

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Physics

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  • Author: Jed Z. Buchwald
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press
  • ISBN: 019969625X
  • Category : Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 956

Presents a history of physics, examining the theories and experimental practices of the science.


A Companion to the History of Science

A Companion to the History of Science

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  • Author: Bernard Lightman
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  • ISBN: 1119121140
  • Category : Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 629

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the History of Science is a single volume companion that discusses the history of science as it is done today, providing a survey of the debates and issues that dominate current scholarly discussion, with contributions from leading international scholars. Provides a single-volume overview of current scholarship in the history of science edited by one of the leading figures in the field Features forty essays by leading international scholars providing an overview of the key debates and developments in the history of science Reflects the shift towards deeper historical contextualization within the field Helps communicate and integrate perspectives from the history of science with other areas of historical inquiry Includes discussion of non-Western themes which are integrated throughout the chapters Divided into four sections based on key analytic categories that reflect new approaches in the field


Masters of Mathematics

Masters of Mathematics

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  • Author: Robert A. Nowlan
  • Publisher: Springer
  • ISBN: 9463008934
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 24

The original title for this work was “Mathematical Literacy, What Is It and Why You Need it”. The current title reflects that there can be no real learning in any subject, unless questions of who, what, when, where, why and how are raised in the minds of the learners. The book is not a mathematical text, and there are no assigned exercises or exams. It is written for reasonably intelligent and curious individuals, both those who value mathematics, aware of its many important applications and others who have been inappropriately exposed to mathematics, leading to indifference to the subject, fear and even loathing. These feelings are all consequences of meaningless presentations, drill, rote learning and being lost as the purpose of what is being studied. Mathematics education needs a radical reform. There is more than one way to accomplish this. Here the author presents his approach of wrapping mathematical ideas in a story. To learn one first must develop an interest in a problem and the curiosity to find how masters of mathematics have solved them. What is necessary to be mathematically literate? It’s not about solving algebraic equations or even making a geometric proof. These are valuable skills but not evidence of literacy. We often seek answers but learning to ask pertinent questions is the road to mathematical literacy. Here is the good news: new mathematical ideas have a way of finding applications. This is known as “the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics.”


The Seven Measures of the World

The Seven Measures of the World

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  • Author: Piero Martin
  • Publisher: Yale University Press
  • ISBN: 0300266278
  • Category :
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 220

The fascinating stories behind the essential seven units of measurement that allow us to understand the physical world "Entertaining popular science and a literate tale of why things are as they are."--Kirkus Reviews From the beginning of history, measurement has been interwoven into the human experience, shaping our understanding of nature, personal relationships, and the supernatural. We measure the world to know our past, comprehend the present, and plan the future. Renowned physicist Piero Martin explores how scientific knowledge is built around seven key pillars of measurement: the meter for length; the second for time; the kilogram for mass; the kelvin for temperature; the ampere for electricity; the mole for quantity of substance; and the candela for luminous intensity. Martin examines the history and function of these units and illustrates their applications in rich vignettes on a range of topics--from quarks to black holes, from a glass of wine to space exploration. He delves into not only the all-important numbers but also anecdotes that underline each unit's special quality. At the same time, he explains how each unit contributes to important aspects of science, from classical physics to quantum mechanics, from relativity to chemistry, from cosmology to elementary particle physics, and from medicine to modern technology. Martin eloquently shows how the entire universe can be measured and understood using just seven units.


Engineering Rules

Engineering Rules

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  • Author: JoAnne Yates
  • Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
  • ISBN: 1421440032
  • Category : Technology & Engineering
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 439

Engineering Rules is a riveting global history of the people, processes, and organizations that created and maintain this nearly invisible infrastructure of today's economy, which is just as important as the state or the global market.


Governing the World

Governing the World

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  • Author: Mark Mazower
  • Publisher: Penguin
  • ISBN: 0143123947
  • Category : Political Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 498

A majestic narrative reckoning with the forces that have shaped the nature and destiny of the world’s governing institutions The story of global cooperation is a tale of dreamers goading us to find common cause in remedying humanity’s worst problems. But international institutions are also tools for the powers that be to advance their own interests. Mark Mazower’s Governing the World tells the epic, two-hundred-year story of that inevitable tension—the unstable and often surprising alchemy between ideas and power. From the rubble of the Napoleonic empire in the nineteenth century through the birth of the League of Nations and the United Nations in the twentieth century to the dominance of global finance at the turn of the millennium, Mazower masterfully explores the current era of international life as Western dominance wanes and a new global balance of powers emerges.


The Reform of the International System of Units (SI)

The Reform of the International System of Units (SI)

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  • Author: Nadine de Courtenay
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • ISBN: 135104897X
  • Category : History
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 212

Systems of units still fail to attract the philosophical attention they deserve, but this could change with the current reform of the International System of Units (SI). Most of the SI base units will henceforth be based on certain laws of nature and a choice of fundamental constants whose values will be frozen. The theoretical, experimental and institutional work required to implement the reform highlights the entanglement of scientific, technological and social features in scientific enterprise, while it also invites a philosophical inquiry that promises to overcome the tensions that have long obstructed science studies.


Encyclopaedia of Historical Metrology, Weights, and Measures

Encyclopaedia of Historical Metrology, Weights, and Measures

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  • Author: Jan Gyllenbok
  • Publisher: Birkhäuser
  • ISBN: 3319575988
  • Category : Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 677

This first of three volumes starts with a short introduction to historical metrology as a scientific discipline and goes on with an anthology of acient and modern measurement systems of all kind, scientific measures, units of time, weights, currencies etc. It concludes with an exhaustive list of references. Units of measurement are of vital importance in every civilization through history. Since the early ages, man has through necessity devised various measures to assist him in everyday life. They have enabled and continue to enable us to trade in commonly and equitably understood amounts, and to investigate, understand, and control the chemical, physical, and biological processes of the natural world. The essence of the work is an alphabetically ordered, comprehensive list of measurement nomenclature, units and scales. It provides an understanding of almost all quantitative expressions observed in all imaginable situations, including spelling variants and the abbreviations and symbols for units, and various acronyms used in metrology. It will be of use not only to historians of science and technology, but also to economic and social historians and should be in every major academic and national library as standard reference work on the topic.


Fundamental Principles of Engineering Nanometrology

Fundamental Principles of Engineering Nanometrology

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  • Author: Richard Leach
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISBN: 1455777501
  • Category : Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 384

Working at the nano-scale demands an understanding of the high-precision measurement techniques that make nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing possible. Richard Leach introduces these techniques to a broad audience of engineers and scientists involved in nanotechnology and manufacturing applications and research. He also provides a routemap and toolkit for metrologists engaging with the rigor of measurement and data analysis at the nano-scale. Starting from the fundamentals of precision measurement, the author progresses into different measurement and characterization techniques. The focus on nanometrology in engineering contexts makes this book an essential guide for the emerging nanomanufacturing / nanofabrication sector, where measurement and standardization requirements are paramount both in product specification and quality assurance. This book provides engineers and scientists with the methods and understanding needed to design and produce high-performance, long-lived products while ensuring that compliance and public health requirements are met. Updated to cover new and emerging technologies, and recent developments in standards and regulatory frameworks, this second edition includes many new sections, e.g. new technologies in scanning probe and e-beam microscopy, recent developments in interferometry and advances in co-ordinate metrology. Demystifies nanometrology for a wide audience of engineers, scientists, and students involved in nanotech and advanced manufacturing applications and research Introduces metrologists to the specific techniques and equipment involved in measuring at the nano-scale or to nano-scale uncertainty Fully updated to cover the latest technological developments, standards, and regulations