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    History of Measurements

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    ShubhenduGupta
    This document provides a brief history of measurement units from ancient times to modern SI units. It discusses early units like the cubit based on human anatomy used by Egyptians to build pyramids. Over time standardized units developed including the foot and hand. In the 19th century scientists like Gauss, Maxwell, and Thomson worked to develop coherent systems of units culminating in the modern International System of Units (SI) adopted in 1960 with base units of the meter, kilogram, second, ampere, Kelvin, mole, and candela.

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    History of Measurements

    Uploaded by

    ShubhenduGupta
    99 views13 pages
    This document provides a brief history of measurement units from ancient times to modern SI units. It discusses early units like the cubit based on human anatomy used by Egyptians to build pyramids. Over time standardized units developed including the foot and hand. In the 19th century scientists like Gauss, Maxwell, and Thomson worked to develop coherent systems of units culminating in the modern International System of Units (SI) adopted in 1960 with base units of the meter, kilogram, second, ampere, Kelvin, mole, and candela.

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    This document provides a brief history of measurement units from ancient times to modern SI units. It discusses early units like the cubit based on human anatomy used by Egyptians to build pyramids. Over time standardized units developed including the foot and hand. In the 19th century scientists like Gauss, Maxwell, and Thomson worked to develop coherent systems of units culminating in the modern International System of Units (SI) adopted in 1960 with base units of the meter, kilogram, second, ampere, Kelvin, mole, and candela.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    99 views13 pages

    History of Measurements

    Uploaded by

    ShubhenduGupta
    This document provides a brief history of measurement units from ancient times to modern SI units. It discusses early units like the cubit based on human anatomy used by Egyptians to build pyramids. Over time standardized units developed including the foot and hand. In the 19th century scientists like Gauss, Maxwell, and Thomson worked to develop coherent systems of units culminating in the modern International System of Units (SI) adopted in 1960 with base units of the meter, kilogram, second, ampere, Kelvin, mole, and candela.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 13
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    Early linear measurements like the cubit were defined based on human body parts. Over time, standardized units were developed and various systems like CGS and SI were introduced.

    The cubit was the first recorded standard linear measurement, defined as the distance from the tip of the forefinger to the middle of the elbow.

    The cubit was subdivided into measurements like hands and feet. One hand was measured from the end of the thumb to the other end of the palm.

    A Short History of

    Measurement
    Cubit
    The Cubit was the first recorded
    standard linear measurement.
    Defined by the distance from the tip
    of the forefinger to the middle of the
    elbow

    Cubit was used by Egyptians for


    building pyramids (2750 B.C.)
    Mean error in length of sides of
    Khufu Pyramid at Gizeh in Eqypt
    was 1.5mm
    Hand
    The Cubit was subdivided into several other
    measurements. One hand is measured with
    the fingers closed and from end of the
    thumb to the other end of the palm

    The Height of a horse is still


    measured in hands today.
    1 hand = 4 inches = 101.6mm
    Foot
    History believes that the foot was
    given its name from the human
    body part. The length of a
    human foot was measured from
    the heel to the tip of the big toe.
    From Egyptians through the
    Greeks and Romans to present
    day the length of one foot has
    increased considerably.
    This is caused by the use of the
    foot in building and as time
    developed the use of measuring
    with boots on feet has increased
    the size of one foot

    Today 1 Foot = 12 inches = 304.8 mm


    History of the International Systems of Units (SI)

    1799 - French Revolution and the subsequent deposition of two platinum


    standards representing the meter and the kilogram, on 22 June 1799, in the
    Archives de la Rpublique in Paris

    1832 - Gauss promoted using the Metric System. Gauss was the first to
    make absolute measurements of the earths magnetic force in terms of a
    decimal system based on the three mechanical units millimetre, gram and
    second for, respectively, the quantities length, mass and time.
    History of the International Systems of Units (SI) cont.

    1860 - Maxwell and Thomson


    further developed Gausss work
    through the British Association for
    the Advancement of Science
    (BAAS). They formulated the
    requirement for a coherent system
    of units with base units and
    derived units.

    1874 - BAAS introduced the centimetre-gram-


    second (CGS) system, a three-dimensional coherent
    unit system based on the three mechanical units
    centimetre, gram and second, using prefixes ranging
    from micro to mega to express decimal submultiples
    and multiples. The following development of physics
    as an experimental science was largely based on this
    system.
    History of the International Systems of Units (SI) cont.

    1880s - BAAS added the ohm for electrical


    resistance, the volt for electromotive force, and
    the ampere for electric current in conjunction with
    International Electrical Congress .

    May, 20 1875 - After the establishment of the


    Meter convention the International Committee
    for Weights and Measures (ICPM)
    concentrated on the construction of new
    prototypes taking the meter and kilogram as the
    base units of length and mass.

    In 1889 the 1st General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM)


    sanctioned the international prototypes for the meter and the kilogram.
    Together with the astronomical second as unit of time, these units constituted a
    three-dimensional mechanical unit system similar to the CGS system, but with
    the base units meter, kilogram and second.
    History of the International Systems of Units (SI) cont.

    1901 Giovanni Giorgi a very


    successful Italian Scientist and
    Engineer showed that it is possible
    to combine the mechanical units of
    this meterkilogramsecond
    system with the practical electric
    units to form a single coherent four-
    dimensional system. Giorgis
    proposal opened the path to a
    number of new developments

    1921 - Giorgi proposal was thoroughly discussed by the several international


    organizations.

    1939-1946 The discussions led to the adoption of a four-dimensional system


    based on the meter, kilogram, second and ampere, the proposal was approved
    in 1946
    History of the International Systems of Units (SI) cont.
    1954 - The introduction of the ampere, the Kelvin and the candela as base units,
    respectively, for electric current, thermodynamic temperature and luminous
    intensity.

    The ampere is officially defined as the current in a pair of equally long, parallel,
    straight wires 1 meter apart that produces a force of 0.0000002 Newton's
    (2 107 N) between the wires for each meter of their length
    The Kelvin is officially defined as A temperature scale in which zero occurs at
    absolute zero and each degree equals one Kelvin. Water freezes at 273.15 K and boils
    at 373.15 K.
    The Candela is officially defined as A unit of luminous intensity equal to 1/60 of the
    luminous intensity per square centimetre of a blackbody radiating at the temperature of
    solidification of platinum (2,046K).
    1960 - The name International System of Units (SI) was given to the system
    1971 - the current version of the SI was completed by adding the mole as base
    unit for amount of substance, bringing the total number of base units to seven.
    The mole is officially defined as The mass in grams of this amount of a substance,
    numerically equal to the molecular weight of the substance.
    SI Units

    NPLS Beginners Guide to measurement (2010)


    Si Units
    Quantity Unit Symbol

    Length Metre m
    Mass Kilogram kg
    Time Second s
    Area Squared metre m2
    Solids volume Cubic metre m3
    Liquid volume Litre L=10-3m3
    Velocity Metre per second m/s
    Acceleration Metre per second squared (m/s2)
    Angle Radian rad
    Angular velocity Radian per second rad/s
    Angular acceleration Radians per second squared rad/s2
    Density Kilogram per cubic metre kg/m3
    Force Newton N = kgm/s2
    Moment of force Newton-metre Nm
    Stress and Pressure Pascal Pa = N/m2
    Frequency Hertz Hz = cycle/s
    Impulse Newton-second Ns
    Work Joule J = Nm
    Power Watt W=j/s
    Thermal Conductivity Watt per metre per degree centigrade W/mC
    Specific heat Joule per Kilogram per degree centigrade J/kgC
    Convection film coefficient Watt per metre squared per degree centigrade W/m2C
    Heat Power Watt W
    Heat Flux (heat generation per area) Watt per metre squared W/m2
    Examples of modern
    measurement tools

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