Measurement: A Very Short Introduction

You use all sorts of measurements every day, but have you ever thought about what measurement really is? This book walks you through some very interesting commentary on this seemingly conventional topic, showing that there’s much more to measurement than meets the eye. First, a history: what units have been used historically and for what purposes, such as quantifying taxes owed or land owned or how many bricks were needed for a pyramid. Measurements developed and changed over time until various groups standardized units for length, volume, etc. As science progressed and new aspects of the world were uncovered, new units were needed and created. New technologies were developed to measure these new concepts, and the measurements collected furthered new discoveries in science. Disciplines as varied as the physical and engineering sciences, life sciences and medicine, behavioral sciences, and economics and social sciences have all had to develop different ways to measure what they study, and each comes with its own challenges. All these are deftly addressed in an interesting, informative overview that will surprise and entertain. Part of the Very Short Introductions series, this book is a great introduction to one of the fundamental aspects of our modern world.