Recently Viewed

New

World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement by Robert P. Crease 9780393343540

No reviews yet Write a Review
RRP: £13.99
Booksplease Price: £12.34
Booksplease saves you 12%

  Delivery: We ship to over 200 countries from the UK
  Range: Millions of books available
  Reviews: Booksplease rated "Excellent" on Trustpilot

  FREE UK DELIVERY: When you buy 3 or more books on Booksplease - Use code: FREEUKDELIVERY in your cart!

SKU:
9780393343540
MPN:
9780393343540
Available from Booksplease!
Global delivery available
Global delivery available
Global delivery available
Global delivery available
Global delivery available
Availability: Usually dispatched within 5 working days

Frequently Bought Together:

Total: Inc. VAT
Total: Ex. VAT

Description

Millions of transactions each day depend on a reliable network of weights and measures. But achieving such a network was anything but easy, as Robert P. Crease, physicist and philosopher, demonstrates in this endlessly fascinating, always entertaining look at just how this international system evolved. From the link between musical pitch and distance in the dynasties of ancient China and the use of figurines to measure gold in West Africa to the creation of the French metric and British imperial systems, Crease takes readers along on one of history's greatest philosophical and scientific adventures.

About the Author
Robert P. Crease is the chairman of the philosophy department at Stony Brook University and the author of several books on science, including The Quantum Moment and The Great Equations. He lives in New York City.

Reviews
"By any measure, this book is a delight." -- Natural History
"[A] fascinating book." -- New Scientist
"A colorful tale of global conquest driven by kings, revolutionaries, polyglots and privateers." -- Science News
"Takes the seemingly mundane questions we unthinkingly ask dozens of times a day and reveals them to be thrillingly profound." -- Richard Panek, author of The 4% Universe



Book Information
ISBN 9780393343540
Author Robert P. Crease
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 255g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 20mm

Reviews

No reviews yet Write a Review

Booksplease  Reviews