World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement (Hardback)
$25.14 - Save $1.81 (6%) - RRP $26.95 Free shipping worldwide (to United States and
all these other countries) Usually dispatched within 24 hours | |- Also available in...
- Paperback $15.84
Short Description for World in the Balance The epic story of the invention of a global network of weights, scales, and instruments for measurement.
Full description- Publisher: WW Norton & Co
- Published: 28 October 2011
- Format: Hardback 317 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: Mensuration & Systems Of Measurement | History Of Science | Popular Science
- ISBN 13: 9780393072983 ISBN 10: 0393072983
- Sales rank: 218,993
Other books
Full description for World in the Balance
In this epic story of the invention of a global network of weights, scales and instruments for measurement, Robert P. Crease traces the evolution of the 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. Into this captivating history Crease weaves stories of colourful individuals, including Thomas Jefferson, an advocate of the metric system and philosopher Charles S. Peirce, the first to tie the metre 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.
