Units of Weight and Measure
Our units of
weight and measure are so much a part of our daily lives that we
have a tendency to forget their origins, their definitions… and
their foreign counterparts. While half of the Western world reasons
in meters, litres and kilograms, the other half still reasons in
inches, miles, gallons and pounds.
Invented by a handful of scholars
during the most disturbing period of the French Revolution, the
metric system's institution followed the conquests of the
Revolution and Empire, then the unification of Italy and of Germany
– but it still hasn't conquered everyone.
Units of weight and measure not
only reveals the little known origins of familiar symbols such as,
$, @, etc., but also puts order in the maze of
units.
Confronted with the scores of
official units that only interest a handful of specialists, those
of everyday life have little concern for History and, at the onset
of one of the greatest monetary changes ever, Roger Lamouline
reminds us that all systems have inherent
limitations.
Within the framework of his work
at a major airline, the author was directly confronted for a long
time with the problem between metric and Anglo-Saxon units and, not
lacking humour, he shares with us his reflections on a subject,
rich, at the same time in history, science, politics and common
sense.
Our units of weight and measure are so much a part of our daily lives that we have a tendency to forget their origins, their definitions… and their foreign counterparts. While half of the Western world reasons in meters, litres and kilograms, the other half still reasons in inches, miles, gallons and pounds.
Invented by a handful of scholars during the most disturbing period of the French Revolution, the metric system's institution followed the conquests of the Revolution and Empire, then the unification of Italy and of Germany – but it still hasn't conquered everyone.
Units of weight and measure not only reveals the little known origins of familiar symbols such as, $, @, etc., but also puts order in the maze of units.
Confronted with the scores of official units that only interest a handful of specialists, those of everyday life have little concern for History and, at the onset of one of the greatest monetary changes ever, Roger Lamouline reminds us that all systems have inherent limitations.
Within the framework of his work at a major airline, the author was directly confronted for a long time with the problem between metric and Anglo-Saxon units and, not lacking humour, he shares with us his reflections on a subject, rich, at the same time in history, science, politics and common sense.
Introduction
1. Du
pied au mètre, du mètre au kilogramme
I. Le pied : une mesure européenne
II. Le pendule battant la seconde : un pied fort scientifique
II. Les Français mesurent le globe terrestre (1669-1789)
IV. L'invention du mètre (1790-1840)
V. Des frères ennemis : le mille et le kilomètre
VI. Les mesures de nos aïeux
VII. Le mètre remodèle surfaces, volumes et poids
2. Les
limites du système métrique
I. Le grand échec : la mesure du temps
II. Des insoumis : le quintal, le tonneau, la bouteille
III. Pourquoi les Anglo-Saxons n'ont-ils que faire du système
métrique ?
IV. Match Celsius contre Fahrenheit : victoire aux points ?
V. Le dollar, le franc et l'euro sont-il décimaux ?
VI. Le système métrique officiel ne concerne pas le commun des
mortels
VII. Nos vraies mesures de tous les jours
VIII. La mort des unités de mesure
