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The Measure of All Things
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The Measure of All Things Paperback - 2003

by Ken Alder

In this "entirely enthralling and beautifully written book" (Simon Winchester), Alder tells the story of how science, revolutionary politics, and the dream of a new economy converged to produce the world's common language of measurement--the metric system--and its first struggle over globalization.


From the publisher

In June 1792, amidst the chaos of the French Revolution, two intrepid astronomers set out in opposite directions on an extraordinary journey. Starting in Paris, Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Delambre would make his way north to Dunkirk, while Pierre-Franois-Andr Mchain voyaged south to Barcelona. Their mission was to measure the world, and their findings would help define the meter as one ten-millionth of the distance between the pole and the equator--a standard that would be used "for all people, for all time." The Measure of All Things is the astonishing tale of one of history's greatest scientific adventures. Yet behind the public triumph of the metric system lies a secret error, one that is perpetuated in every subsequent definition of the meter. As acclaimed historian and novelist Ken Alder discovered through his research, there were only two people on the planet who knew the full extent of this error: Delambre and Mchain themselves. By turns a science history, detective tale, and human drama, The Measure of All Things describes a quest that succeeded as it failed--and continues to enlighten and inspire to this day.

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Details

  • Title The Measure of All Things
  • Author Ken Alder
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 448
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Free Press, New York
  • Date 2003-10-01
  • Features Bibliography, Index, Maps
  • ISBN 9780743216760 / 0743216768
  • Weight 1.34 lbs (0.61 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.55 x 5.57 x 1.08 in (21.72 x 14.15 x 2.74 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Arc measures - History, Meter (Unit) - History
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2002070267
  • Dewey Decimal Code 526.1

Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Times, 10/19/2003, Page 36

About the author

Ken Alder is a professor of history and Milton H. Wilson Professor of the Humanities at Northwestern University. He is the author of The Measure of All Things, published to worldwide acclaim in fourteen languages. He lives in Evanston, Illinois
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The Measure of All Things : The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World

The Measure of All Things : The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World

by Ken Alder

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The Measure of All Things

The Measure of All Things

by Alder, Ken

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The Measure of All Things

The Measure of All Things

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Free Press, 2003. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Measure of All Things

The Measure of All Things

by Alder, Ken

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Measure of All Things : The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World
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The Measure of All Things : The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World

by Alder, Ken

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The Measure of All Things : The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World
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The Measure of All Things : The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World

by Alder, Ken

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The Measure of All Things : The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World
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The Measure of All Things : The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World

by Alder, Ken

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780743216760 / 0743216768
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The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World
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The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World

by Ken Alder

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The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World
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The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World

by Alder, Ken

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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