Measurement
No civilization can escape the need for
a system of measurement. Before people had measuring tools, they found points of reference such as seeds,
stones and their own limbs. Thus, an inch was accepted as the distance from the tip of the thumb to
the first joint; a yard was the distance from the tip of a king's nose to the end of his middle finger;
a fathom was the length of a Viking's embrace. As shown in ancient German woodcuts, the length of the
rod was determined by measuring the total distance covered by the left feet of sixteen men, large and
small.
Today, m, kg, s, A, K, mol, cd are the symbols representing the seven basic units of the universal system of measurement known as SI (Système international d'unités). For nearly half a century, the technical committee ISO/TC 12, Quantities, units, symbols, conversion factors, laboured to prepare the series of International Standards covering the measurement of anything.
In the technological world of today, where any new fields that open up are almost automatically linked to the SI and where only two units (the nautical mile and the knot) do not adhere to it, utter confusion would reign without an easily workable, standardized system. Whether you're dealing in Kelvin's or kilos, moles or metres, you'll be able to get and give the right amounts because ISO has done the homework for you.
International Standard ISO 31, Quantities and units, consists of 13 parts with an addition of ISO 1000, SI units and recommendations for the use of their multiples and of certain other units.
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