The fascinating stories behind the essential seven units of measurement that allow us to understand the physical world   “Entertaining popular science and a literate tale of why things are as they are.�—Kirkus Reviews   From the beginning of history, measurement has been interwoven into the human experience, shaping our understanding of nature, personal relationships, and the supernatural. We measure the world to know our past, comprehend the present, and plan the future.   Renowned physicist Piero Martin explores how scientific knowledge is built around seven key pillars of measurement: the meter for length; the second for time; the kilogram for mass; the kelvin for temperature; the ampere for electricity; the mole for quantity of substance; and the candela for luminous intensity. Martin examines the history and function of these units and illustrates their applications in rich vignettes on a range of topics—from quarks to black holes, from a glass of wine to space exploration. He delves into not only the all-important numbers but also anecdotes that underline each unit’s special quality. At the same time, he explains how each unit contributes to important aspects of science, from classical physics to quantum mechanics, from relativity to chemistry, from cosmology to elementary particle physics, and from medicine to modern technology. Martin eloquently shows how the entire universe can be measured and understood using just seven units.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfangen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen fur die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfugung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden mussen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.

Gradiometry is a multidisciplinary area that combines theoretical and applied physics, ultra-low noise electronics, precision engineering, and advanced signal processing. All physical fields have spatial gradients that fall with distance from their sources more rapidly than the field strength itself. This makes the gradient measurements more difficult. However, there has been a considerable investment, both in terms of time and money, into the development of various types of gradiometers driven by the extremely valuable type of information that is contained in gradients. Applications include the search for oil, gas, and mineral resources, GPS-free navigation, defence, space missions, medical research, and some other applications. The author describes gravity gradiometers, magnetic gradiometers, and electromagnetic (EM) gradiometers. The first two types do not require any active sources of the primary physical fields whose gradients are measured, such as gravity field and ambient magnetic field. EM gradiometers do require a primary EM field, pulsed, or sinusoidal, which propagates through media and creates a secondary EM field. The latter one contains information about the non uniformness of electromagnetically active media such as conductivity and magnetic permeability contrasts. These anomalies are the boundaries of mineral deposits, oil and gas traps, underground water reserves, buried artifacts, unexploded ordnance (UXO), nuclear submarines, and even cancerous human tissue. This book provides readers with a comprehensive introduction, history, potential applications, and current developments in relation to some of the most advanced technologies in the 21st Century. Most of the developments are strictly controlled by Defence Export Control rules and regulations, introduced in all developed countries that typically require permission to transfer relevant information from one country to another. The book is based on the materials that have been available in public domain such as scientific journals, conferences, extended abstracts, and online presentations. In addition, medical applications of EM gradiometers are exempt from any control, and some new results relevant to breast cancer early detection research are published in this book for the first time.

This book is an introduction to the mechanical properties, the force generating capacity, and the sensitivity to mechanical cues of the biological system. To understand how these qualities govern many essential biological processes, we also discuss how to measure them. However, before delving into the details and the techniques, we will first learn the operational definitions in mechanics, such as force, stress, elasticity, viscosity and so on. This book will explore the mechanics at three different length scales - molecular, cellular, and tissue levels - sequentially, and discuss the measurement techniques to quantify the intrinsic mechanical properties, force generating capacity, mechanoresponsive processes in the biological systems, and rupture forces.

Die vorliegende Arbeit befaBt sich in der Hauptsache mit den Wirbelstromerscheinungen in den raumlich ausgedehnten Leitern der Rotationskorper der Ferraris oder InduktionsmeB gerate, deren genaue Kenntnis fiir die ausfiihrende Technik von Wert ist. Obschon im Laufe des letzten Jahrzehntes eine Reihe sehr wertvoller Arbeiten, zum Teil theoretischer und experimenteller Natur, iiber Giese MeBgerate erschienen sind, so sind sie doch zum groBten Teil nicht geeignet, die immerhin nicht ganz ein fache Arbeitsweise dieser Apparate zahlenmaBig verfolgen zu konnen, weil sie sich in der Hauptsache nur auf die Zerlegung der Felder in Fouriersche Reihen beschranken und die elektri schen und magnetischen Verhaltnisse im Rotationskorper zum Teil vernachlassigen. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit soU deshalb weniger sein, eine ex akte mathematische Losung der Probleme zu liefern unter Be achtung samtlicher Feinheiten an ausgefiihrten Apparate- das wurde wohl zu den schwierigsten Aufgaben der heutigen Mathematik gehoren - als vielmehr unter Vernachlassigung alles Nebensachliohen und unter Zuhilfenahme der Maxwellschen Theorie fUr die gebrauchlichsten Typen dieser MeBgerate Formeln zur Berechnung herzuleiten, wie sie der praktische Ingenieur braucht. Zum Schlusse soIl dann an einem Voltmeter nach dem Ferrarisschen Prinzip untersucht werden, wie weit die Theorie mit den experimentell ermittelten Resultaten ubereinstimmt. Die vorliegende Arbeit wurde durch die Anregung von Herrn Dr. Hausrath ins Leben gerufen und unter der Leitung des so fruh dahingeschiedenen Geh. Hofrats Prof. Dr. E. Arnold Vorwort. IV ausgefiihrt, der mich bis kurz vor seinem Tode durch sein liebenswiirdiges Interesse und wertvollen Ratschlage unterstiitzte."

Electrostatic Accelerators have been at the forefront of modern technology since the development by Sir John Cockroft and Ernest Walton in 1932 of the first accelerator, which was the first to achieve nuclear transmutation and earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1951. The applications of Cockroft and Walton's development have been far reaching, even into our kitchens where it is employed to generate the high voltage needed for the magnetron in microwave ovens. Other electrostatic accelerator related Nobel prize winning developments that have had a major socio-economic impact are; the electron microscope where the beams of electrons are produced by an electrostatic accelerator, X-rays and computer tomography (CT) scanners where the X-rays are produced using an electron accelerator and microelectronic technology where ion implantation is used to dope the semiconductor chips which form the basis of our computers, mobile phones and entertainment systems. Although the Electrostatic Accelerator field is over 90 years old, and only a handful of accelerators are used for their original purpose in nuclear physics, the field and the number of accelerators is growing more rapidly than ever. The objective of this book is to collect together the basic science and technology that underlies the Electrostatic Accelerator field so it can serve as a handbook, reference guide and textbook for accelerator engineers as well as students and researchers who work with Electrostatic Accelerators.

1. Zehn Jahre sind vergangen, seit Dr. C. Pulfrich vom Zeisswerk in Jena es unternahm, die bis dahin nur in der Theorie 1) be kannte stereoskopische Messmethode in die Praxis einzufuhren. Zu dieser Zeit war die in andern Staaten inzwischen zu Ansehen gelangte Bildmessung bei der deutschen Topographie fast schon in Ver gessenheit geraten. Sie hatte in Deutschland nicht zu halten vermocht, was ihre eifrigen Vertreter an Nutzen fur die Topographie von ihr ver sprochen hatten. Es wurde deshalb anfangs auch der grosse Fortschritt, den das stereoskopische Bildmessverfahren brachte, von der Allgemein heit wenig beachtet. Erst in neuester Zeit macht sich eine kraf.: e Propaganda fur die Sache bemerkbar. Bei der Konigl. Preuss. Landesaufnahme wurde jedoch das neue Verfahren sofort von seinem Erscheinen im Jahre 1901 an sorgfaltig studiert. Besonders lebhaft interessierte sich dafur der im Jahre 1904 vers tor bene Generalmaj or Sc h u I z e, damaliger Chef der Topographischen Abteilung. Verfasser hatte das Gluck, mit der Ausfuhrung seiner inter essanten Versuche betraut. zu werden und selbstandige Arbeiten unter nehmen zu durfen."

Measurement techniques form the basis of scientific, engineering, and industrial innovations. The methods and instruments of measurement for different fields are constantly improving, and it's necessary to address not only their significance but also the challenges and issues associated with them. Strategic Applications of Measurement Technologies and Instrumentation is a collection of innovative research on the methods and applications of measurement techniques in medical and scientific discoveries, as well as modern industrial applications. The book is divided into two sections with the first focusing on the significance of measurement strategies in physics and biomedical applications and the second examining measurement strategies in industrial applications. Highlighting a range of topics including material assessment, measurement strategies, and nanoscale materials, this book is ideally designed for engineers, academicians, researchers, scientists, software developers, graduate students, and industry professionals.

Atomic Physics provides a concise treatment of atomic physics and a basis to prepare for work in other disciplines that are underpinned by atomic physics such as chemistry, biology and several aspects of engineering science. The focus is mainly on atomic structure since this is what is primarily responsible for the physical properties of atoms. After a brief introduction to some basic concepts, the perturbation theory approach follows the hierarchy of interactions starting with the largest. The other interactions of spin, and angular momentum of the outermost electrons with each other, the nucleus and external magnetic fields are treated in order of descending strength. A spectroscopic perspective is generally taken by relating the observations of atomic radiation emitted or absorbed to the internal energy levels involved. X-ray spectra are then discussed in relation to the energy levels of the innermost electrons. Finally, a brief description is given of some modern, laser based, spectroscopic methods for the high resolution study of the nest details of atomic structure.

Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, published in 1915, made a remarkable prediction: gravitational radiation. Just like light (electromagnetic radiation), gravity could travel through space as a wave and affect any objects it encounters by alternately compressing and expanding them. However, there was a problem. The force of gravity is around a trillion, trillion, trillion times weaker than electromagnetism so the calculated compressions and expansions were incredibly small, even for gravity waves resulting from a catastrophic astrophysical event such as a supernova explosion in our own galaxy. Discouraged by this result, physicists and astronomers didn't even try to detect these tiny, tiny effects for over 50 years. Then, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, two events occurred which started the hunt for gravity waves in earnest. The first was a report of direct detection of gravity waves thousands of times stronger than even the most optimistic calculation. Though ultimately proved wrong, this result started scientists thinking about what instrumentation might be necessary to detect these waves. The second was an actual, though indirect, detection of gravitational radiation due to the effects it had on the period of rotation of two 'neutron stars' orbiting each other. In this case, the observations were in exact accord with predictions from Einstein's theory, which confirmed that a direct search might ultimately be successful. Nevertheless, it took another 40 years of development of successively more sensitive detectors before the first real direct effects were observed in 2015, 100 years after gravitational waves were first predicted. This is the story of that hunt, and the insight it is producing into an array of topics in modern science, from the creation of the chemical elements to insights into the properties of gravity itself.

For most of the history of scientific endeavour, science has been recorded on paper. In this digital era, however, there is increasing pressure to abandon paper in favour of digital tools. Despite the benefits, there are barriers to the adoption of such tools, not least their usability. As the relentless development of technology changes the way we work, we need to ensure that the design of technology not only overcomes these barriers, but facilitates us as scientists and supports better practice within science. This book examines the importance of record-keeping in science, current record-keeping practices, and the role of technology for enabling the effective capture, reuse, sharing, and preservation of scientific data. Covering the essential areas of electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) and digital tools for recording scientific data, including an overview of the current data management technology available and the benefits and pitfalls of using these technologies, this book is a useful tool for those interested in implementing digital data solutions within their research groups or departments. This book also provides insight into important factors to consider in the design of digital tools such as ELNs for those interested in producing their own tools. Finally, it looks at the role of current technology and then considers how that technology might develop in the future to better support scientists in their work, and in capturing and sharing the scientific record.

Two of the most powerful tools used to study magnetic materials are inelastic neutron scattering and THz spectroscopy. Because the measured spectra provide a dynamical fingerprint of a magnetic material, those tools enable scientists to unravel the structure of complex magnetic states and to determine the microcscopic interactions that produce them. This book discusses the experimental techniques of inleastic neutron scattering and THz spectroscopy and provides the theoretical tools required to analyze their measurements using spin-wave theory. For most materials, this analysis can resolve the microscopic magnetic interactions such as exchange, anisotropy, and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions. Assuming a background in elementary statistical mechanics and a familiarity with the quantized harmonic oscillator, this book presents a comprehensive review of spin-wave theory and its applications to both inelastic neutron scattering and THz spectroscopy. Spin-wave theory is used to study several model magnetic systems, including non-collinear magnets such as spirals and cycloids that are produced by geometric frustration, competing exchange interactions, or Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions. Several case studies utilizing spin-wave theory to analyze inelastic neutron-scattering and THz spectroscopy measurements are presented. These include both single crystals and powders and both oxides and molecule-based magnets. In addition to sketching the numerical techniques used to fit dynamical spectra based on microscopic models, this book also contains over 70 exercises that can be performed by beginning graduate students.

Metrological data is known to be blurred by the imperfections of the measuring process. In retrospect, for about two centuries regular or constant errors were no focal point of experimental activities, only irregular or random error were. Today's notation of unknown systematic errors is in line with this. Confusingly enough, the worldwide practiced approach to belatedly admit those unknown systematic errors amounts to consider them as being random, too. This book discusses a new error concept dispensing with the common practice to randomize unknown systematic errors. Instead, unknown systematic errors will be treated as what they physically are- namely as constants being unknown with respect to magnitude and sign. The ideas considered in this book issue a proceeding steadily localizing the true values of the measurands and consequently traceability.