The Daily Mail recently published an article on University of Helsinki research about the merits of body-based measurements. The article says that they are easily accessible, enable us to make approximate measurements and give us valuable insights into the history of measurement. However, body parts do not make good measuring devices because everyone is different and even tailors use tape measures. The historical use of body-based measurements led to the proliferation of different handspans, cubits, feet and inches. This caused problems for international trade and co-operation.
Continue reading “Limitations of body-based measurements”Category: Science
BIPM and OIML issued joint press release and Directors’ message to mark World Metrology Day
20 May 2023 was World Metrology Day, commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875. To mark the occasion, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) issued a joint press release and Directors’ message.
Continue reading “BIPM and OIML issued joint press release and Directors’ message to mark World Metrology Day”Blight on marine life education
Following on from the story of the Rock Reef flyer last week, we look at the chaotic use of mixed measurements at an educational attraction, in stark contrast to the metric education that youngsters get in school.
Continue reading “Blight on marine life education”Decolonising science
Martin Vlietstra, an occasional contributor to Metric Views, considers Britain’s policy of retaining, for as long as it could, the use of imperial measurements in its Empire. He notes that the consequences continue to this day.
Continue reading “Decolonising science”How metric units fit together
After celebrating the arrival of decimal currency in the UK 50 years ago, Metric Views now goes back to basics on decimal measurement. No, we shall not be looking at nautical distances or Gunter’s chain! Continue reading “How metric units fit together”
Micro metric measurements in everyday products
SI is capable of measuring anything from the tiniest particles to the largest objects in the universe. While it may sound technical and scientific, there are practical benefits of tiny measurements in some everyday products. Here, Ronnie Cohen takes a look.
Continue reading “Micro metric measurements in everyday products”1819 – a massacre and a missed opportunity
This article looks at the first report of the Commissioners appointed early in the nineteenth century to consider weights and measures. It gives examples of the reasons why the Commission was appointed, comments on some of its recommendations, and then speculates on an alternative outcome had the Commission taken a different view.
Continue reading “1819 – a massacre and a missed opportunity”
Email correspondence from the archives
Ronnie Cohen draws attention to an exchange of e-mails between a visitor to the UKMA web site and himself, on behalf of the UKMA Committee.
Leading us to the 18th century
Martin Vlietstra, one of our regular contributors, offers his thoughts on an early pronouncement by the newly-appointed Leader of the House of Commons.
Major shake-up of the SI
One of our regular contributors, Ronnie Cohen, has followed up on Martin Vlietstra’s article about the “new kilogram”, with a summary of the forthcoming changes to SI. It proved difficult to create some of the symbols used by SI in the text editor used by Metric Views, and readers who require the full story may wish to visit https://www.bipm.org .
