Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement
- Downloads：6558
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-03 02:16:34
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：James Vincent
- ISBN：0571354211
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A revelatory and vibrant story of measurement which
will make you look at the world around you anew。
We measure rainfall and radiation， the depths of space and the
emptiness of atoms， calories and steps， happiness and fear。 If
we could not measure， then we could not observe the world
around us; we could not experiment， learn and cooperate。
But why did this urge to measure flourish？ And when did
measurement become ubiquitous？
It is an incredible story that spans hunter-gatherer societies
and the ancient Egyptians， the French Revolution and the
relentless quantication of the twenty-rst-century self。 It is
a tale that tracks humanity’s search for dependable truths in a
chaotic universe。 Full of mavericks and visionaries， adventure
and breakthroughs， Beyond Measure shows that measurement
has not only made the world we live in， it has made us too。
will make you look at the world around you anew。
We measure rainfall and radiation， the depths of space and the
emptiness of atoms， calories and steps， happiness and fear。 If
we could not measure， then we could not observe the world
around us; we could not experiment， learn and cooperate。
But why did this urge to measure flourish？ And when did
measurement become ubiquitous？
It is an incredible story that spans hunter-gatherer societies
and the ancient Egyptians， the French Revolution and the
relentless quantication of the twenty-rst-century self。 It is
a tale that tracks humanity’s search for dependable truths in a
chaotic universe。 Full of mavericks and visionaries， adventure
and breakthroughs， Beyond Measure shows that measurement
has not only made the world we live in， it has made us too。
Reviews
mylogicisfuzzy
，
In Beyond Measure， James Vincent has achieved something quite tricky， that is created a most enjoyable read about measuring things。 His enthusiasm for the subject is infectious as he delves deep into the history of defining and standardising various measurements， weight， length/ distance， temperature and so on， and the people （not all scientists） who did so。 He also looks at the current obsession with return to imperial units and the need to continuously measure ourselves， the Quantified Self mo In Beyond Measure， James Vincent has achieved something quite tricky， that is created a most enjoyable read about measuring things。 His enthusiasm for the subject is infectious as he delves deep into the history of defining and standardising various measurements， weight， length/ distance， temperature and so on， and the people （not all scientists） who did so。 He also looks at the current obsession with return to imperial units and the need to continuously measure ourselves， the Quantified Self movement – how we sleep， what we eat， how many steps we take daily。 It doesn’t surprise that the latter， with ’10，000 steps a day’ slogan was originally a marketing campaign with no science to back it。 Beyond Measure takes in politics， sociology， eugenics （particularly chilling） as well as science and history of metrology。 An impressive read， highly recommended。My thanks to Faber & Faber and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Beyond Measure。 。。。more
Sadie Lewis
，
Not a book I would usually read， but I enjoyed it。 Well written and informative book。 It was funny in some places。 Really made me think about history and how it has changed our way of life。
Annarella
，
A well researched and fascinating book。 Measure systems are not only numbers but also political and due to historical fact。 This book starts in the ancient world and tells a fascinating story。 The author is a good storyteller and the book was informative and enjoyable。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine
Steve
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