Hello everyone! This is my PowerPoint presentation on the History of Measurement.

1. HISTORY OF
MEASUREMENT
By: Ishaq Shah
Ms. Hamrani’s
Intro To Eng. Class
Block: 4A

2. HOW MEASURING UNITS
CAME TO EXISTENCE
 Many civilizations needed measurements
to construct, make clothing, barter food, and
even raw materials. The Egyptians amongst
many other civilizations were the first to (The
begin recording measurements. Due to the Amazing
Pharaoh's excessive need for monuments and Pyramids
worship from his peasants, Egyptians began and the
recording measurements around 3200 BC. We Phoenix)
see this as evidence through the pyramids of
today, the Phoenix, and other monuments in
Egypt today.

3. SPECIFIC TOOLS USED FOR
MEASUREMENTS
 In ancient Egypt, lengths were
measured by cubit rods. As evidence
these rods were found in the tombs
of officials. Greeks measure of
length were based on the human Cubit Rods
body such as the foot and the finger
segments. Which the Roman Empire
Greek’s
adapted or refined into a larger foot. measurements of the
Human Body.

4. MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS
 THE
INDONESIANS, EGYPTIANS,
MESOPOTAMIANS, ELAM, AN
D THE INDUS VALLEY
PEOPLES, WERE ALL MAJOR
CONTRIBUTERS TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE
DEVICES AND UNITS.

5. BLUNDERS OF FAULTY
MEASUREMENTS
 The Great Kersten Blunder – Kersten was a
programmer who programmed the Vigor space probe
and sent it towards Venus. He made a very small error
of conversion from millimeter to inches, and the The Great Kersten
probe missed Venus and was sent hurling in space. Blunder
This caused 2 billion dollars of technology to be
abolished.
 The Mars Climate Orbiter suffered a dramatic The Mars
disaster when programming teams from Europe and Climate
USA worked in two different measurement systems to Orbiter
program the Orbiter. It missed Mars and completely
vanished into space.

6. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1. According to archeological records, which civilizations were the first to record
measurements?
The Egyptians were the first, and were followed by the Sumerians, and then the Chinese.
2. Around the time of the Roman Empire the terms inch, foot, and yard were refined.
What was the length of a foot based on?
The term “Foot” came to existence when someone unknown measured a standard
person’s foot. Some say it was a king’s foot, but however some feet were smaller and
sometimes larger than 12 inches.

7. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
3. For what reason did the French Academy of Science create the metric system?
The main reason for the invention of the metric system by the French Academy of Science was to create
a measurement system that could be used internationally by standards of weight, distance, volume and
temperature.
4. What was the Treaty of the Meter (May 20, 1875)?
It was an agreement to oversee the standards of the metric system. Numerous countries were involved.
5. How was the length of a standard meter defined in the year 1791?
It was defined by the dimensions of the planet Earth.
6. How was the length of a standard meter redefined in the year 1983?
On October 20, 1983, the meter was officially redefined by the distance traveled by light.

8. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
7. What was the significance of the Metric Act of 1866?
It was significant because it recognized the Metric System as a legal system of measurement in
the United States.
8. What were some of the early tools to help aid in measurement?
The human body, and the cubit rods were some of the earliest tools in aiding measurements.
9. What major engineering blunders were results of faulty measurement?
The error in conversion of mm. to in., resulting in the loss of the Venus Probe. Different use of
measuring systems (metric and standard) of the USA and Europe, caused the Mars Climate
Orbiter to be abolished.

9. RESOURCES
 http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/Measur
ement.htm
 http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?hist
oryid=ac07
 ( Inventors.about.com – historyworld.net )