World in the balance
Subtitle: the historic quest for an absolute system of measurement
By: Robert P. Crease
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Published: 2011
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 317
ISBN-13: 9780393072983
Subjects: History; Weights and measures; Metrology; Measurement
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Vitruvian man; title: Ancient China : feet and flutes; title: West Africa : gold weights; title: France : "realities of life and labor"; title: Halting steps toward universality; title: "One of the greatest triumphs of modern civilization"; title: Metrophilia and metrophobia; title: Surely you're joking, Mr. Duchamp!; title: Dreams of a final standard; title: Universal system :  the Si; title: The modern metroscape; title: Au revoir, kilogram.