A Measure of All Things: The Story of Man and Measurement - Hardcover

Whitelaw, Ian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312370261 ISBN 13: 9780312370268

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2007

Synopsis

Every wonder how long a cubit really is? How much is in a hogshead and what it refers to? Or the difference between a light year, a parsec and a Planck length? How many pings there are in an acre and who uses which term in what context? Every wonder where all these terms and formats came from and how they are used? Well, wonder no more!
In the tradition of Schott's Miscellany, A Measure of All Things is a well-researched page-turning, illustrated look at the way things concrete and theoretical are and have been measured. It ranges from the history of measurement systems (from the earliest times to the present) to the different classes of measurements (length, area, volume, mass, time, temparature, speed, power, energy, pressure and everyday, unscientific measurements). A Measure of All Things covers the origins of the various units of measurement, the ways in which they developed and changed over time, and the many connections between them.

About this title

Review:

New Scientist The ideal book for quiz buffs --New Scientist

BBC Focus This curious little book is neither a reference work with comprehensive and precise conversion tables, nor a rambling discursive treatise. Rather, it takes the form of a guidebook to the world of weights and measures --BBC Focus

Good Book Guide This is a fascinating and orderly compilation of different forms of measurement. --Good Book Guide

About the Author:

IAN WHITELAW is an editor and writer who focuses primarily on scientific subjects. His work ranges from the very serious to the not-so-serious, including Habitus Disgustus: The Encyclopedia of Annoying, Rude and Unpleasant Behavior (Plume, 2006) and various writings on environmental topics for Greenpeace. He lives in Vancouver Island, Canada.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0312370261
• ISBN 13: 9780312370268
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160