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a measure of all things

Measurement can sometimes be a confusing business. One might expect a gallon to be the same everywhere, but a US gallon is considerably different from an imperial gallon. And what of older measures such as the 'rod, pole or perch' - how did this turn out to be five and a half yards? In a measure of all things Ian Whitelaw delves into such issues. The result is a book which is full of information on the many different systems of measurement used for different purposes, such as sheets of paper, bottles of champagne and even the hotness of a chilli.

The book has 11 chapters, each looking at a type of measurement - length, area, volume, mass, time, temperature and so on. These are divided into typically 2 page sections on a particular topic, with plenty of diagrams. This helps to pack in a great deal of information, but in a way which is accessible to the novice reader. However, it's not the sort of book to read from start to finish, but then again it isn't really a reference book either - its more of a book to dip into at odd moments. I think its best suited for those who want some background information on the systems of measurement which they encounter.

Amazon.com info

Hardcover 160 pages
ISBN: 0715326961
Salesrank: 5410027
Weight:0.88 lbs

Published: 2007 David & Charles Publishers

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Amazon.co.uk info

Hardcover 192 pages
ISBN: 0312370261
Salesrank: 3218145
Weight:1.2 lbs

Published: 2007 St. Martin's Press

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Amazon.ca info

Hardcover 160 pages
ISBN: 0715326961
Salesrank:
Weight:0.88 lbs

Published: 2007 David & Charles Ltd

Amazon price CDN$ 20.03

Marketplace:New from CDN$ 11.01:Used from CDN$ 17.24

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Product Description
Every wonder how long a cubit really is? How much is in a hogshead and what it refers to? Or the difference between a light year, a parsec and a Planck length? How many pings there are in an acre and who uses which term in what context? Every wonder where all these terms and formats came from and how they are used? Well, wonder no more! In the tradition of Schott's Miscellany, A Measure of All Things is a well-researched page-turning, illustrated look at the way things concrete and theoretical are and have been measured. It ranges from the history of measurement systems (from the earliest times to the present) to the different classes of measurements (length, area, volume, mass, time, temparature, speed, power, energy, pressure and everyday, unscientific measurements). A Measure of All Things covers the origins of the various units of measurement, the ways in which they developed and changed over time, and the many connections between them.

Product Description

Every wonder how long a cubit really is? How much is in a hogshead and what it refers to? Or the difference between a light year, a parsec and a Planck length? How many pings there are in an acre and who uses which term in what context? Every wonder where all these terms and formats came from and how they are used? Well, wonder no more!
In the tradition of Schott's Miscellany, A Measure of All Things is a well-researched page-turning, illustrated look at the way things concrete and theoretical are and have been measured. It ranges from the history of measurement systems (from the earliest times to the present) to the different classes of measurements (length, area, volume, mass, time, temparature, speed, power, energy, pressure and everyday, unscientific measurements). A Measure of All Things covers the origins of the various units of measurement, the ways in which they developed and changed over time, and the many connections between them.

Broad in scope but shallow in depth. Barely worth the money **
I have mixed feeling about "A Measure of All Things" by Ian Whitelaw, and I think Whitelaw does also. In the Epilogue he is rather apologetic for the limited depth of the book. Over 300 interesting and widely different measurements are covered (good), but the coverage is inconsistent in quality (not so good). In some cases the writer mentions interesting facts, but gives no explanation. For example, thickness gauges often measure decreasing thickness as the gauge number increases, the opposite of what one might expect. He mentions one possible explanation in passing, but why not find out the real reason and tell us? He also lists model railway scales as "O", "OO", "N", "T" and so on, but does not explain how those designations came about. In another place he describes the names for wine bottles - magnum, jeroboam etc, but says nothing about who chose such names and when. Similarly, the story of how prefixes like "yotta" and "zepto" got their names is interesting, but you won't find the story in this book. These examples aptly illustrate the shallowness of the book. A myriad of interesting topics are presented in convenient "bites" so that readers can graze, rather than actually read the book. Some readers may prefer that approach. But I think most readers want more than just snippets of raw information in a book of this nature. We want information that has been analysed and put into perspective, with comparisons made and conclusions drawn. Then information becomes knowledge, something more than just the sum of individual facts. It is also what separates good writers from clerks trawling through Google search results. I was also surprised that Whitelaw did not mention the most spectacular recent example illustrating the need to get units of measurement right. NASA officials found that the $125 million Mars Polar Orbiter launched some years ago burned up on impact with the thin Martian atmosphere because two navigation teams and their computers had confused English and metric units. There are errors on page 115. Whitelaw says that a body in free fall under the influence of gravity experiences no forces. That is incorrect. A body in free fall accelerates due to the force of gravity. He then gives a wrong explanation for the "vomit comet" used by NASA to simulate weightlessness. Weightlessness occurs at the top of a carefully flown arc, not as the plane accelerates downwards as Whitelaw says. The book is only 160 pages, much of it diagrams, so there was plenty of scope for more explanatory material to be included. In fact, if you took out the diagrams, there are probably only 60 or so pages of text, making it more of a pamphlett than a book. The paper is thick, presumably to add bulk and fool the buyer into thinking he has received value for money. The use of diagrams and graphical flourishes is grossly overdone, probably to pad out the book to an almost-respectable size. An acre is described at length in the text on the measurement of area, so there is hardly any need for a large diagram of a bare rectangle to show the proportions of an acre. The colour for the text has been poorly chosen. Instead of the usual black print one is accustomed to see, the publishers have chosen a dark bluish-grey font. It is readable (but uncomfortable) in good daylight, but difficult to read in anything but the brightest artificial light. The font and the graphic design with all its diagrams look good, but aesthetic factors seem to have triumphed over content. The bottom line: Broad in scope but shallow in depth. Barely worth the money.

Broad in scope but shallow in depth. Barely worth the money **

I have mixed feeling about "A Measure of All Things" by Ian Whitelaw, and I think Whitelaw does also. In the Epilogue he is rather apologetic for the limited depth of the book. Over 300 interesting and widely different measurements are covered (good), but the coverage is inconsistent in quality (not so good).

In some cases the writer mentions interesting facts, but gives no explanation. For example, thickness gauges often measure decreasing thickness as the gauge number increases, the opposite of what one might expect. He mentions one possible explanation in passing, but why not find out the real reason and tell us? He also lists model railway scales as "O", "OO", "N", "T" and so on, but does not explain how those designations came about.

In another place he describes the names for wine bottles - magnum, jeroboam etc, but says nothing about who chose such names and when.

Similarly, the story of how prefixes like "yotta" and "zepto" got their names is interesting, but you won't find the story in this book.

These examples aptly illustrate the shallowness of the book. A myriad of interesting topics are presented in convenient "bites" so that readers can graze, rather than actually read the book.

Some readers may prefer that approach. But I think most readers want more than just snippets of raw information in a book of this nature. We want information that has been analysed and put into perspective, with comparisons made and conclusions drawn.

Then information becomes knowledge, something more than just the sum of individual facts. It is also what separates good writers from clerks trawling through Google search results.

I was also surprised that Whitelaw did not mention the most spectacular recent example illustrating the need to get units of measurement right. NASA officials found that the $125 million Mars Polar Orbiter launched some years ago burned up on impact with the thin Martian atmosphere because two navigation teams and their computers had confused English and metric units.

There are errors on page 115. Whitelaw says that a body in free fall under the influence of gravity experiences no forces. That is incorrect. A body in free fall accelerates due to the force of gravity. He then gives a wrong explanation for the "vomit comet" used by NASA to simulate weightlessness. Weightlessness occurs at the top of a carefully flown arc, not as the plane accelerates downwards as Whitelaw says.

The book is only 160 pages, much of it diagrams, so there was plenty of scope for more explanatory material to be included. In fact, if you took out the diagrams, there are probably only 60 or so pages of text, making it more of a pamphlett than a book. The paper is thick, presumably to add bulk and fool the buyer into thinking he has received value for money.

The use of diagrams and graphical flourishes is grossly overdone, probably to pad out the book to an almost-respectable size. An acre is described at length in the text on the measurement of area, so there is hardly any need for a large diagram of a bare rectangle to show the proportions of an acre.

The colour for the text has been poorly chosen. Instead of the usual black print one is accustomed to see, the publishers have chosen a dark bluish-grey font. It is readable (but uncomfortable) in good daylight, but difficult to read in anything but the brightest artificial light.

The font and the graphic design with all its diagrams look good, but aesthetic factors seem to have triumphed over content.

The bottom line: Broad in scope but shallow in depth. Barely worth the money.

A Measure of All Things: The Story of Man and Measurement *
The font and faded color of the text makes this book pratically illegible. Depending upon the material and presentation (Column or full page) I read between 900 and 1200 words per minute (WPM). For this book my reading speed is probably below 300 WPM, which is about the speed I am able to read from a conputer monitor. Will probably donate the book unread to the next charity book drive.

A Measure of All Things: The Story of Man and Measurement *

The font and faded color of the text makes this book pratically illegible. Depending upon the material and presentation (Column or full page) I read between 900 and 1200 words per minute (WPM). For this book my reading speed is probably below 300 WPM, which is about the speed I am able to read from a conputer monitor. Will probably donate the book unread to the next charity book drive.

A Fascinating Romp Through the World of Measurement *****
When I first leafed through this book, I got the impression that it was simply a listing of various units used in the measurement of various quantities. However, upon closer examination, I realized that it was much more that. For each of the various units that are discussed, the author gives its historical origin, its evolution and its current standing. In eleven chapters, the author covers everything from length, area and volume to energy, radioactivity and lasers. The last chapter covers miscellaneous topics such as the perceived hotness of chili peppers, the hardness of various materials and ring sizes. The writing style is very clear, authoritative and friendly. Although anyone would be fascinated by this book, it would likely be most enjoyed by science buffs - especially those with a passion for the physical sciences.

A Fascinating Romp Through the World of Measurement *****

When I first leafed through this book, I got the impression that it was simply a listing of various units used in the measurement of various quantities. However, upon closer examination, I realized that it was much more that. For each of the various units that are discussed, the author gives its historical origin, its evolution and its current standing. In eleven chapters, the author covers everything from length, area and volume to energy, radioactivity and lasers. The last chapter covers miscellaneous topics such as the perceived hotness of chili peppers, the hardness of various materials and ring sizes. The writing style is very clear, authoritative and friendly. Although anyone would be fascinated by this book, it would likely be most enjoyed by science buffs - especially those with a passion for the physical sciences.