HISTORY OF MEASUREMENT

By: Ishaq Shah

Ms. Hamrani’s Intro To Eng. Class Block: 4A

HOW MEASURING UNITS CAME TO EXISTENCE

Many civilizations needed measurements

to construct, make clothing, barter food,

and even raw materials. The Egyptians

amongst many other civilizations were the

first to begin recording measurements.

Due to the Pharaoh's excessive need for

monuments and worship from his peasants,

Egyptians began recording measurements

around 3200 BC. We see this as evidence

through the pyramids of today, the

Phoenix, and other monuments in Egypt

today.

(The Amazing Pyramids and the Phoenix)

SPECIF IC TOOLS USED FOR MEASUREMENTS

In ancient Egypt, lengths were

measured by cubit rods. As

evidence these rods were found

in the tombs of officials. Greeks

measure of length were based

on the human body such as the

foot and the finger segments.

Which the Roman Empire

adapted or refined into a larger

foot.

Cubit Rods

Greek’s measurements of the Human Body.

MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS

THE INDONESIANS,

EGYPTIANS,

MESOPOTAMIANS, ELAM,

AND THE INDUS VALLEY

PEOPLES, WERE ALL

MAJOR CONTRIBUTERS TO

THE DEVELOPMENT OF

THE DEVICES AND UNITS.

BLUNDERS OF FAULTY MEASUREMENTS

The Great Kersten Blunder – Kersten was a

programmer who programmed the Vigor space

probe and sent it towards Venus. He made a

very small error of conversion from millimeter

to inches, and the probe missed Venus and was

sent hurling in space. This caused 2 billion

dollars of technology to be abolished.

The Mars Climate Orbiter suffered a dramatic

disaster when programming teams from Europe

and USA worked in two different measurement

systems to program the Orbiter. It missed Mars

and completely vanished into space.

The Great Kersten Blunder

The Mars Climate Orbiter

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

1. According to archeological records, which civilizations were the

first to record measurements?

The Egyptians were the first, and were followed by the Sumerians,

and then the Chinese.

2. Around the time of the Roman Empire the terms inch, foot, and

yard were refined. What was the length of a foot based on?

The term “Foot” came to existence when someone unknown

measured a standard person’s foot. Some say it was a king’s foot,

but however some feet were smaller and sometimes larger than 12

inches.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

3. For what reason did the French Academy of Science create the metric system?

The main reason for the invention of the metric system by the French Academy of

Science was to create a measurement system that could be used internationally by

standards of weight, distance, volume and temperature.

4. What was the Treaty of the Meter (May 20, 1875)?

It was an agreement to oversee the standards of the metric system. Numerous countries

were involved.

5. How was the length of a standard meter defined in the year 1791?

It was defined by the dimensions of the planet Earth.

6. How was the length of a standard meter redefined in the year 1983?

On October 20, 1983, the meter was officially redefined by the distance traveled by light.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

7. What was the significance of the Metric Act of 1866?

It was significant because it recognized the Metric System as a legal system of

measurement in the United States.

8. What were some of the early tools to help aid in measurement?

The human body, and the cubit rods were some of the earliest tools in aiding

measurements.

9. What major engineering blunders were results of faulty measurement?

The error in conversion of mm. to in., resulting in the loss of the Venus Probe.

Different use of measuring systems (metric and standard) of the USA and

Europe, caused the Mars Climate Orbiter to be abolished.

RESOURCES

http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinvention

s/a/

Measurement.htm

http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHisto

ries.asp?historyid=

ac07

( Inventors.about.com – historyworld.net )