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Author:

Vincent, James (Journalist), author.

Title:

Beyond measure : the hidden history of measurement from cubits to quantum constants / James Vincent.

Edition:

First American edition.

Publisher:

W.W. Norton & Company,

Copyright Date:

2023

Description:

viii, 423 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Subject:

Weights and measures--History.
Measurement--History.

Notes:

"First published in the UK by Faber & Faber Ltd."--Title page verso. Includes bibliographical references (pages 353-391) and index.

Summary:

"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.

ISBN:

1324035854
9781324035855

OCLC:

(OCoLC)1348186944

LCCN:

2022027408

Locations:

USUX851 -- Iowa State University - Parks Library (Ames)

BOPG851 -- Ames Public Library (Ames)

TCPG826 -- Bettendorf Public Library Information Center (Bettendorf)

UNUX074 -- University of Northern Iowa - Rod Library (Cedar Falls)

TYPH572 -- Cedar Rapids Public Library (Cedar Rapids)

XXPH787 -- Council Bluffs Public Library (Council Bluffs)

FXPH314 -- Carnegie-Stout Public Library (Dubuque)

CAPH522 -- Iowa City Public Library (Iowa City)

YEPF572 -- Marion Public Library (Marion)

GOPG641 -- Marshalltown Public Library (Marshalltown)

LAPH975 -- Sioux City Public Library (Sioux City)