Metric Revolution

The Humanistic Implications of the International System of Measures

(SI)

Nicholas A. Theisen 2002

History of the Metric System I

• 1585 – Simon Stevin (at left) – Le Disme

• 1660 – The Royal Society – decimal measures

• 1786 – Thomas Jefferson – the decimal dollar

Beginnings

History of the Metric System IIa

• Blame the French• 1735 – La Condamine• 1790 – The Academy

of Sciences proposes Franco-British collabo-ration

• 1792 – Méchain and Delambre set out

Monarchy and Revolution

Pierre François André Méchain

History of the Metric System IIb

• 1798 – Meridian ex-pedition completed

• 1799 – International Assembly

• France has peculiar relationship with own standards.

International Reception

Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Delambre

Development I

• Meter (m - length)• Second (s - time)• Gram (g - mass)• Kelvin

(temperature)

• Volume (m3)• Speed (m/s)• Force (gm/s2 or one

Newton)• Frequency (cycles/s)

Base Units Derived Units

Development IIa

• Length – meter – 1/40,000,000 of the circumference of the earth

• Mass – gram – 1 cm3 of water at 1 atmosphere

• Volume – liter – 1 dm3

Initial Definitions

Development IIb

• Length – meter – distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458th of 1 second

• Mass – gram – 1/1,000 of a platinum-iridium cylinder

• Volume – m3 – a cubic meter

Current Definitions

Development III

The metric system uses a base ten mathematical structure. Single units are divided into subunits by groups of ten, making conversion between subunits much easier.

Decimal Structure

one decimeter

one centimeter x 10 = one decimeter

Politics I (resistance)

• The United States

• We, the People

• Case Study: a stu-dent of engineering Metric

Politics II (control)

• Britain and India• Universal Standards as

a means of consoli-dating political con-trol.

• “International” rami-fications of SI

A battle during the Sepoy rebellion*

Politics III (revolution)

• French Revolution

• Industrial Revolution

• Metric Revolution

steam engine*

Philosophy Ia (comfort)

• Subjective measure (e.g. foot)

• Objective measure (e.g. meter)

• Historical negative reaction to SI may be “natural”

one “foot”

Philosophy Ib (creativity)

• 3 Stoppages Étalon (1914)*

• One of Marcel Duchamp’s first ready-made pieces

• His “response” to the meter

click here for larger image

Philosophy IIa

• Ratio mensurae – SI as Aristotelian-Thomistic (unity)*

• Though, divisibility a key component of SI

• The “one” is arbitrary.

whole

halves

quarters

etc.

Philosophy IIb (10x)

• Simon Stevin – Decimal base useful for universal standard

• Is base 10 objective? (the ten finger hypo-thesis)

10x Fingers

Philosophy III (silliness)

• Sometimes dislike for metric system is en-tirely irrational.

• Peculiar associations between English standards and various Americana

http://www.metricsucks.com

Conversion

• Why Metric? Why not just convert?

• Sept. 1999 - Mars Climate Orbiter lost

• SI intended to increase efficiency - conversion reduces efficiency

NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter site

Taxonomy

The metric system represents a dispassionate means of carving up the world: a system not based on local, subjective rules but rather on global, universal regulations. The revo-lutions both for and against represent in some respects taking sides in favor of either the global or local.

The Global Community

With the majority of the world now using SI, a global language of measure has become available, even if historical ethnic language barriers still exist. But with the U.S. not fully committed to metric reform, the history of SI continues to play out even until the present moment.

fin

Nicholas A. Theisen 2002