Beyond Measure : : the Hidden History of Measurement From Cubits to Quantum Constants
Book - 2023 530.81 Vi, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Mathematics / Miscellaneous None on shelf No requests on this item
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| Location & Checkout Length | Call Number | Checkout Length | Item Status |
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Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout |
530.81 Vi | 4-week checkout | Due 05-20-2024 |
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Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout |
Adult Book / Nonfiction / Mathematics / Miscellaneous | 4-week checkout | Due 05-26-2024 |
"First published in the UK by Faber & Faber Ltd."--Title page verso.
"A vibrant account of how measurement has invisibly shaped our world, from ancient civilizations to the modern day. From the cubit to the kilogram, the humble inch to the speed of light, measurement is a powerful tool that humans invented to make sense of the world. In this revelatory work of science and social history, James Vincent dives into its hidden world, taking readers from ancient Egypt, where measuring the annual depth of the Nile was an essential task, to the intellectual origins of the metric system in the French Revolution, and from the surprisingly animated rivalry between metric and imperial, to our current age of the "quantified self." At every turn, Vincent is keenly attuned to the political consequences of measurement, exploring how it has also been used as a tool for oppression and control. Beyond Measure reveals how measurement is not only deeply entwined with our experience of the world, but also how its history encompasses and shapes the human quest for knowledge"-- Provided by publisher.
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PUBLISHED
New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, 2023.
Year Published: 2023
Description: 423 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Language: English
Format: Book
ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9781324035855
1324035854
SUBJECTS
Weights and measures -- History.
Measurement -- History.