History of Measurement by Table of Contents Egyptians 1 Leonardo Da'Vinci 2 Roman Empire 3 Units of Measurement 4 English Standards & King James 5 Units of Measurement 6 French Academy 7 Units of Measurement 8 Pivotal Moments 9 References 10 Cover 11 Egyptians 1 cubit = 6 palms = 24 fingers Palm = 4 fingers Hand = 5 fingers Fist = 6 fingers Span = 14 fingers Rod = 100 cubits 1. Shaftment 2. Hand 3. Palm 4. Span 5. Finger 6. Digit Leonardo Da'Vinci Roman Empire 1 foot = 16 fingers (digitus in Latin) or 12 thumbs (inch in Latin) 1 mile = 1000 paces 1 yard = 1 pace Henry I of England His Foot, Thumb, etc. (inch in Latin) became the standard unit size as established by the Office of Weights and Measures Units of Measurement Length • 12 lines = 1 inch • 12 inches = 1 foot • 3 feet = 1 yard • 1760 yards = 1 mile • 36 inches = 1 yard • 440 yards = quarter mile • 880 yards = half mile • 100 links = 1 chain • 10 chains = 1 furlong • 8 furlongs = 1 mile • 4 inches = 1 hand • 22 yards = 1 chain • 5.5 yards = 1 rod, pole or perch • 4 poles = 1 chain • 40 poles = 1 furlong King James Bible Biblical Units of Measurement • Bath = 5.8 gallons Cubit = 17 – 21 inches Ephah = 20 quarts Farthing = ¼ cents Gerah = .02 ounces Hin = 1 gallon Homer = 58 gallons Mina = 1.26 pounds Mite = 1/8 cents Omer = 2 quarts Penny = 16 cents ■ Pound = 100 shekels or 16 dollars Shekel = .4 ounces Span = 9 inches Talent = 75 pounds French Academy of Science Rather than based on human proportions and ratios, Metric system’s: • length (miter) was based on the dimensions of the Earth (one ten- millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole) • mass (kilogram) was based on water with volume of 1 liter • temperature based on boiling point and freezing point of water. Units of Measurement • 100,000 nanometers = 1 millimeter • 1000 micrometers = 1 millimeter • 10 millimeters = 1 centimeter • 100 centimeters = 1 meter • 1000 meter = 1 kilometer Pivotal Moments 1875 - Treaty of the Meter - On May 20, the United States entered into a treaty with 17 powers establishing the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, and providing for its administration. 1791 - “Jefferson Report” - established Standard Meter Length Metric Law of 1866 - Congress made use of the Metric System legally permissible throughout the United States. Metric Act of 1983 REFERENCES History of measurement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2012, May 6). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_measureme nt .