Millions of transactions each day depend on a reliable network of
weights and measures. This network has been called a greater
invention than the steam engine, comparable only to the development
of the printing press. Robert P. Crease traces the evolution of
this international system from the use of flutes to measure
distance in the dynasties of ancient China and figurines to weigh
gold in West Africa to the creation of the French metric and
British imperial systems. The former prevailed, with the United
States one of three holdout nations. Into this captivating history
Crease weaves stories of colorful individuals, including Thomas
Jefferson, an advocate of the metric system, and American
philosopher Charles S. Peirce, the first to tie the meter to the
wavelength of light. Tracing the dynamic struggle for ultimate
precision, World in the Balance demonstrates that measurement is
both stranger and more integral to our lives than we ever
suspected.
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