Some of the earliest examples of weight measurement were a simple rod that was suspended by a string in the middle. Weight measurements and scales have followed a very similar path. Much more recent clocks utilized electronic devices such as a tuning fork, a quartz crystal and then atomic clocks for vast improvements. Hourglasses, water clocks and then pendulum clocks provided significant improvements. Special candles were built that were meant to burn at a steady rate, which provided a more accurate means of telling time. More accuracy was obtained with the invention of the sundial, which could divide a day into a number of parts. The earliest measurements were based on the length of a day, or the amount of time between sunrise and sunset. Similarly, the measurement of time has also become much more accurate over the course of history. This distance is very standard and can be reproduced anywhere. It was defined as the distance that light would travel in a particular, very small fraction of a second. More recently, however, the definition of a meter was changed to be even more accurate. Copies of this bar could be reproduced and sent to different locations at website. The bar was made from a very stable material called platinum iridium and was stored in an area where environmental conditions like temperature were kept as constant as possible. The distance was designed to represent a fraction of one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the north pole. Later, agreements were made to produce a standard metal bar with two marks that was very carefully produced. A known, reproducible standard would then serve a specific geographic area. Ancient Measurements Distanceīefore standardized equipment, many measurements were based on parts of the body, such as a hand or foot-hence the American “feet.” These measurements became more accurate when standard rulers were introduced. Yet over the entire course of history, scales have been just as important to the economy as they are today, which is why people have always strived-and continue to strive-for more accurate measurements. If you were to travel back in time and show an ancient street merchant a digital weighing scale, he would have no idea what to do with it. The History of Scales The History of Scales
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