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

Download or read book World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement written by Robert P. Crease and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2011-10-24 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Shows that the story of metrology . . . can in the right hands make for a riveting read.”—The Economist Millions of transactions each day depend on a reliable network of weights and measures. But achieving such a network was anything but easy, as Robert P. Crease, physicist and philosopher, demonstrates in this endlessly fascinating, always entertaining look at just how this international system evolved. From the link between musical pitch and distance in the dynasties of ancient China and the use of figurines to measure gold in West Africa to the creation of the French metric and British imperial systems, Crease takes readers along on one of history’s greatest philosophical and scientific adventures.