Introduction – Measurements
Today I went to buy a T.V. of about 42 inches. At that time, I saw various gadgets of different sizes and shapes in that shop, and the thought of putting this blog on measurements popped up in my mind. Actually, after finishing buying, I came out of that shop. Suddenly my attention was caught by an under-construction building in which every pillar and slab was built in the proper size and shape that can hold the whole construction. Then I saw a fruit vendor sailing fruits and weighing them on the machine. You might think, why am I discussing all these daily things. But you know we all daily use to see all these happenings but have you ever wondered what if these measurement units were not discovered? What Is The History of Measurement? Who Discovered Measurement? Types of Measurement, old units of measurement, What is the Metric system, and Who Invented The Metric System? And many more.
What we know about measurement is the unit of comparison or Quantification between given and standard units. Now, what is that standard unit? Today, everything depends on measurements, from how much water we daily use to how much to eat for a healthy body. How do all these units like liter, Milliliter for liquids, gram, and Kilogram for dry grains, fruits, etc., get discovered? And who invented them? How differentiate them according to the things? We will discuss all the facts in this blog today.
What Is the History of Measurement
During the 3rd or 4th millennium B.C., the earliest system of weights and measurements originated. There are various systems for measurements are already existed since the ancient era. In the old days, people used to measure their agricultural stuff using multiple styles. And the names for all these units originated from human morphology.
Like they use their hands and foot for the measurement. The unit of length is the stretched, straight distance between the tip of the thumb and the pinky figure’s tip. And, well foot is itself named unit as a foot. Still, the need for standardized measurements is due to false and dynamicity in different persons’ palm and foot lengths.
A modernized, simplified, uniform system of weights and measurement was developed in the 18th century. But before these, some countries like France have measuring units for almost every profession at that time. The growing industry and world make the necessity for single standardized units dire. The word Measurement comes from the Greek word Metron meaning limited proportion.
Who Discovered Measurement
Our ancient civilization is a way forward in discovering and fulfilling the need for measurements. The earliest known uniform system of weights and measurement was discovered by the ancient civilization of Egypt. This system of measurements is mainly used by peoples of Mesopotamia, the Indus valley, and Elam located in Iran.
Have you ever seen an Astrologer? for us, stars, planets, sun, and moon are only sky things or things to showcase our feeling like in cinematic scenarios. But astrologers are the people who calculate many rituals and future facts, sunset, and sunrise from the position of the sun, moon, stars, etc., in the sky. There is no evidence of the actual inventors of the measurement. Still, according to some literature survey, the French civilization is considered to be the real inventors of the metric system in 1795.
The real tragedy is that before the metric system’s invention, there were over 250000 different measurement units, including the morphological structure of the human body. But using hands and grains to measure weight and length creates lots of complications in trades.
To avoid all complications and clarify all the measurements French revolutionary national assembly came up with a single solution like all in one. They give us a standard international unit called the Meter. Meter is calculated as ten-millionth of the total distance.
The evolution of the metric system gave us a unit for length and weight, which is the same across the globe and provide a universal way to explore Area.
The ruler is the fundamental unit everyone knows for measuring length. A German industrialist Anton Ullrich is the inventor of the first folding ruler; and it was created in 1851.
Who Invented Metric System
Gabriel Mouton, a church vicar in Lyons, France, was considered the founding father of the famous metric measurement system. The unit of length Meter was borrowed from the word Metron meaning measurement. In 1670 the decimal system of measurement was invented by the Mouton, which took several years to get refined by French scientists.
The history of the metric system began during the age of enlightenment with the measurement of length and weight derived from nature. Among many practical revisions for the invented units, the first practical realization came in 1799 during the French revolution. The Metric system includes only two units one is Meter, and another is Kilogram.
Unit Meter is based on the dimensions of the earth and the unit of mass. The unit Kg (Kilogram) was based on the mass of a volume of water of one liter, a cubic decimeter. Though these units are complicated to study, imagine the calculations and detailed study behind them by the inventors.
Mesures usuelles, a French pronunciation for the customary measurement, was a French measurement system. This system was introduced by Napoleon I in 1812. Customary measurement is developed as a compromise between the metric system and traditional measurements. And remained in use from 1812 to 1839. In the middle of the 19th century, three base units for length, mass, and time were proposed by James Clerk Maxwell.
Types of Measurement
There are various measurements nowadays, but there are three standard measurement systems.
1. International System of Unit (S.I.)
The modern form of the metric system is known as the S.I. unit system. The Metric system was created by France in 1789. And is based on only two units’ Meter and Kilogram, whereas the International system is based on the seven fundamental units. Those units are time, ampere, Kilogram, Meter, kelvin, mole, and candela. Maxwell derived three base unit systems for length, mass, and time. And CGS (centimeter – gram – second) system played a major role in constructing the modern S.I. unit system.
It has become the world’s most used system of measurements, established and maintained by the CGPM (General conference on weights and measurements). Among all others, it is the only system of measurements that holds the official status in nearly all countries of the world.
2. British Imperial System
This system was first defined by the British weight and measurement act of 1824. It is the combination of some developed traditional units. It replaces the Winchester Standards, which are in use from 1588 to 1825. British Empire is the primary source of an imperial system that came up in the world of measurements.
Still, up to the late 20th century, almost all nations had adopted the metric system as the main system in use, including the imperial system. The United Kingdom and some parts, especially Canada, still use the imperial system with the metric system. It includes units like twip, thou, inch, barleycorn, hand, foot, yard, chain, mile, etc.
3. U.S. Customary System
This customary system was developed from English units used in the British Empire before the U.S. became an independent country. As the name depicts, this measurement system is mostly used in the United States territories, including the U.S. The use of customary units was made prior by the U.S.-based international institutes during the 19th century. Still, the U.S. is among the three nations that do not adopt the S.I. system or metric system as their official system of weight and measurements. Both the British imperial and U.S. customary systems are derived from the English units, so many same units are present in both systems. U.S. customary system I commonly used in consumer products and industrial manufacturing.
Measurements are a crucial part of our day-to-day life, and this blog will take you on a brief tour of the measurement world. Stay connected for more such writeups.
