Measurement is fundamental to human interaction. Measurement is used as a means of facilitating the exchange of goods and services. It makes it possible to quantify the magnitude of a physical dimension when describing an object. Nations adopt specific measurement systems to make it easier for commercial transactions to take place between geographic communities. Measurement is the basis of much of the entire enterprise of science, where phenomena are observed, analyzed, and described. Measurements serve as evidence to support the theories that scientists propose to explain phenomena. The scientific community makes many demands on a measurement system. A scientific system of measurement must have reproducible standards, well-defined fundamental
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This system does make use of reproducible standards that are the responsibility of the federal Bureau of Weights and Measures. However, the progression between units is not predictable. For example, there are 12 inches in a foot, three feet in a yard, and 5,280 feet in a mile. The conversion ratios of 1:12, 1:3, and 1:5,280 have no apparent pattern. The medieval Flemish system of measurement also demonstrates conversion ratio variability. The dry volume measurement of one viertel was equivalent to 4 neukens, 56 pots, 112 pintes, and 224 upers. The Flemish system had one additional disadvantage from a scientific point of view; the dry volume measurement was not entirely standardized. The measurement for oats was different than that of other grains. Neither the English nor the Flemish systems of measurement meet the stringent demands for scientific …show more content…
The Metric System is used by a majority of the nations in the world. There are seven fundamental units that have absolute standards based upon observable physical phenomena. Each unit can be made larger or smaller by means of prefixes. The prefixes assign values based upon the decimal system. Typically, SI prefixes represent spans of one thousand, although other decimal values are used for convenience. It is possible to generate new units of measure within SI by using a prefix that corresponds to an appropriate power of ten. Thus, SI has reproducible standards, well-defined fundamental units, a flexible range of measurement, and a logical progression between the units of measure. For these reasons, SI is the measurement system used by the scientific
This system does make use of reproducible standards that are the responsibility of the federal Bureau of Weights and Measures. However, the progression between units is not predictable. For example, there are 12 inches in a foot, three feet in a yard, and 5,280 feet in a mile. The conversion ratios of 1:12, 1:3, and 1:5,280 have no apparent pattern. The medieval Flemish system of measurement also demonstrates conversion ratio variability. The dry volume measurement of one viertel was equivalent to 4 neukens, 56 pots, 112 pintes, and 224 upers. The Flemish system had one additional disadvantage from a scientific point of view; the dry volume measurement was not entirely standardized. The measurement for oats was different than that of other grains. Neither the English nor the Flemish systems of measurement meet the stringent demands for scientific …show more content…
The Metric System is used by a majority of the nations in the world. There are seven fundamental units that have absolute standards based upon observable physical phenomena. Each unit can be made larger or smaller by means of prefixes. The prefixes assign values based upon the decimal system. Typically, SI prefixes represent spans of one thousand, although other decimal values are used for convenience. It is possible to generate new units of measure within SI by using a prefix that corresponds to an appropriate power of ten. Thus, SI has reproducible standards, well-defined fundamental units, a flexible range of measurement, and a logical progression between the units of measure. For these reasons, SI is the measurement system used by the scientific