In the past, people have always tried their own ways of using daily measurements. It was needed and used for daily trade as well as further businesses. These things could only have been made if the people knew they were being fair and honest; hence, the reason that different measurements needed to exist. Many short distance measurements were based on the lengths of the human body. The width of a thumb was used to resemble the inch, which we used today in the English System of Measurements. The foot, which is twelve inches, was compared to the length of the human foot; however, today it is derived to be longer than most people’s feet. The yard, which is equal to three feet, was inferred to be the length from the tip of the nose, to the end of the middle finger when the arm and hand are extended. The Anglo Saxons of England measured these short differences in their own ways too. The length of three barleycorns was their length of the inch (it was very close to the modern length). Then in 1066, the Normans conquered England and brought back to England the Roman tradition of the twelve inch foot. During the reign of Henry I the foot became official and was engraved on the base of a column of St. Peter’s church in London (Rowlett, R. (2001). A dictionary of units of measurement. English customary weights and measures). He also arranged the yard to be established in England as well. Although, inches, feet, yards etc. measured shorter distances, miles were used to measure much longer distances. This mile was a Roman unit, which was primarily the length of 1,000 paces of a Roman legion. The “pace” was meant to be two steps, about five feet, which measured the mile to be roughly about 5,000 feet.
The basic unit that was used for weight ...
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.... Origin of the metric system).
Currently, people of many countries use this SI unit for measurements. The meter is used for measuring length (it can be converted to millimeters, centimeters, decimeters, kilometers, decameters, and hectometers). The liter is used to measure volume and its conversions are similar to the meter conversions. The gram is used to measure mass and its conversions follow the meter’s conversions as well. Scientists from all over the world make sure of they use this metric system in order to communicate data and make all calculations simpler. Although a vast majority of world uses the metric system in daily activities, the United States, UK, and other countries decide to still use English units daily. And even though everyone in the world may use different measurements daily, it was all created to make our lives a little simpler each day.
The United States is the only country who does not use the metric system (meters, kilometers, litters); instead they use the customary system (inches, feet). For example, if you will have to drive in another country you will not understand how far another grocery store because the sign tells you in meters not in miles.
Like the Arabs, the Europeans sometimes let their religion come between them and the truth. The best example of this is what Boorstin refers to as the “Great Interruption,” a time in the Middle Ages where theological, rather than geographical, accuracy was prioritized in mapmaking. Rather than continuing the work of Ptolemy and refining his rectangular coordinate system, cartographers “spent their energies embroidering a neat, theologically appealing picture of what was already known, or was supposed to be known.” (Boorstin, 100) Maps depicted the world as a circular disc divided into three parts, the three parts being the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe, separated by a T-shaped flow of water. Jerusalem was always in the center of the maps; the justification came from a verse in Ezekiel saying that God had placed Jerusalem in the midst of the nations, which was interpreted literally. Allowing Christian dogma to determine the shape of the earth was a major failing in Boorstin’s eyes; nevertheless, the episode was only an “interruption,” and Europe eventually resumed discovery. Firstly, Boorstin credits the west for the modern clock and calendar. Although earlier versions of clocks from other parts of the world are mentioned, the author focuses primarily on the contributions of westerners to its development. When missionary
A group called the Powers had their own thrones of doom and were the “most holy gods.” They held council which shows already that order and rule was important. The Powers chose to give names to different times of the day spanning morning, afternoon and night and so on. This structure allowed for a calendar-like count of the days and years so that people could keep track of time. If the sun was visible in one position it was a certain time and they’d know that next the sun would set and then the moon would begin to rise marking the end of a
...n or ulna length as-well-as the type of measuring device used to weight the patient for example chair or hoist scale. This would enable the assessment to be carried out each time using the same measurement and equipment, which would make the test fair and more reliable (Medical Education Division, 2007).
... measure. They will not want the hassle of remembering two different measurements throughout their lives. Americans are not very stubborn and are willing enough to change to a simpler system of measurements.
Meta: Golf is arguably the most gentlemanly sport in the world, with Pipeline49 now taking the game of the green and giving it a gambling edge. Closest to the Pin is the name, but will you be able to sink a putt when it matters most?
The Metric system is used across the world, all except for the United States of America and two other countries. Switching to Metric can mean more business opportunities for America from other countries. The Metric system can be the link for fashion designers to have more opportunities in other countries, or scientists as well. Because of the loss of jobs due to not using the Metric system in America, the country will not advance. The biggest argument against changing is the people, a strong source that should not be ignored. All the immediate benefits from ethical, emotional and logical views show there are many sources that outline the benefits to why America should change to the Metric system and why
“each about a foot and a half long, which were arranged in a neat row
Due to archeological evidence we know that the African people were the first people in the world to use counting to keep track of their things, or time. Around 35,000 BC, in South Africa the earliest known tally stick was made, and was left in Lebombo Cave. 29 notches were cut into the stick. We don't know exactly what they were counting. Some people think they were counting the days from one moon phase to the next, but it could have been something else. Just as well. Now, what we do see is that by 35,000 BC people in South Africa had the idea of keeping records by making marks. “The Lebombo bone is a baboon fibula with a set of 29 notches carved in it. Archeologists believe these marks are evidence of a primitive calendar, measuring either the lunar or the menstrual calendar. This artifact is incredibly important for unders...
Euclidean distance was proposed by Greek mathematician Euclid of Alexandria. In mathematics, the Euclidean distance or Euclidean metric is the distance between two points, which is shown as a length of a line segment and is given by the Pythagorean theorem. The formula of Euclidean distance is a squ...
To the dismay of some and a necessity for others, scales can be found about everywhere in today’s society. It never fails; if you go to the doctor you will step on the scale. They are at the grocery store, in most bathrooms and even in some of our favorite stores. Were we might even pay a quarter to have a machine tell us our weight, out loud. We as a society are obsessed with our weight. You’re asked for your weight when renewing your driver’s license. Every time you get in an elevator and see the little sign saying do not exceed *** lbs, the quarter-pounder with cheese and milkshake you ate for lunch, is brought back to your memory. A scale receives more mental and physical abuse than any other appliance that has ever been invented. All this abuse stems from a lesson each of use were taught at a young age, which is that we should always tell the truth. Well let’s look a little deeper into the scale and see the physics involved in how two different types’ of scales weigh objects.
When the liquid level in both arms is the same, the pressure of the sample of gas inside the closed end must equal the pressure of the external atmosphere since the downward force on the two columns of liquid is then equal. When the liquid levels are unequal, the pressures must differ. The difference in pressure can be measured in units of length of the vertical column of liquid. The mm Hg, or its modern version the torr, originated in this use of the manometer. Mercury is particularly convenient for use in manometers (and barometers) because at room temperature it has low vapor pressure, does not wet glass, and has a high density. Other liquids such as linseed oil or water have also been used in manometers.
In the Roman civilization there was no symbol for zero. Romans used the word “nulla” for an empty space. The word nulla meant “nothing”; what our common day zero means. Romans had a very unorganized number system. It was full of flaws. With no use of zero, there was absolutely no way for counting above several thousand units. When the Roman Empire fell in 300 A.D., the introduction and adaptation of Arabic numerals, today's decimal numbers, took place. Thus, the invention of zero, nothing, was a huge leap forward in Roman history.
Perhaps one of the most used mathematic skill in the medical field is converting units. According to a study based on IMS’s Vector One Database, in the year 2011 alone there were 3,764,698,318 prescriptions filled in the United States (SDI Health). In order to prescribe and fill these prescriptions, pharmacists and doctors had to precisely calculate medication measurements. Medication is prescribed using the metric system, often in milligrams per kilogram (Glydon). To figure how much medicine to prescribe to a patient, a doctor must first convert their patient’s weight in pounds to kilograms. After this, they must carefully calculate the amount of required milligrams per kilogram. Doctors must be able to determine ...