When it comes to measuring things, there are some odd units of measurement out there. While measuring in feet is standard, there are many weirder ways to measure. Did you know a hand is a unit of ...

Weights, measures and classification systems may seem like innocuous ways of taking stock of the world around us. But the tools are anything but objective, a new exhibition suggests. Measuring ...

BEYOND MEASURE: The Hidden History of Measurement From Cubits to Quantum Constants, by James Vincent Reading James Vincent’s quietly thrilling new book, “Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of ...

Honest weights and measures crop up frequently in ancient history as guarantors of social order, from Hammurabi’s code in Babylon to the Talmud and the Bible, which mentions measurement more ...

The challenge is reflected in the measurement system’s often chaotic history—and its origins in the French Revolution. In the late 18th century, Enlightenment-era Frenchmen saw a tantalizing ...

Of the history of eyeglasses ... Einstein's most famous epigram was prompted by the question of what he would do if the measurements of bending starlight at the 1919 eclipse contradicted his ...

James Vincent doesn’t recount the parable of the Smoot in his engaging “Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement From Cubits to Quantum Constants,” but it captures his central point.