Project 1.3.1 – History of Measurement

Purpose

Have you ever wonderedwhen the need for measurement was first recognized? Do you think it had to do with hunting, farming, shelter, or war? The question may never be answered, but it is safe to say that measurement has existed since before recorded history. Every human civilization has established its own measuring tools and, along with them, measuring standards. The pyramids in Egypt and the Roman aqueducts in Europe are a testament to this fact.

Mass production of medicines and consumer products has resulted in a modern world that enjoys a very high standard of living. However, that standard of living would not exist without measurement standards. Consider the production of your favorite musical Compact Disc (CD). Without measurement standards, the likelihood that when you purchased a CD it would always fit in any CD player could not happen. Manufacturers might create the CD any size they wanted, and you’d be stuck with a CD that would only work in a few players.

Measurement standards came into play when the designers of the JPL Mars Rover failed to convert their metric measurement to English units before they made a part. That error cost the Mars project a robot, and it was lost in space, literally.

Equipment

  • Engineer’s notebook
  • Pencil
  • Computer with Internet access

Procedure

In this project,you will divide up into teams of two and perform a WebQuest on the history of measurement. Your team will discover:

  • How measuring units came to be.
  • What tools were used?
  • Who the major contributors were to the development of the devices and units used.
  • What major blunders occurred because of faulty measurement?

You will use the Internet to perform your research. You will gather information using the questions below to guide you. You and your partner will prepare individual documentation and record findings in your journal or engineer’s notebook. You will discuss your findings with your partner and compile information into one of two forms of documentation.

  • Design a book jacket (size 8 ½ x 11 or 11 x 17) cover that depicts the history of measurement. Use the above bullets in your design along with pictures and major dates in history. The book jacket must have a front cover and back flap. Somewhere on the front cover should be the name of the course along with your names.
  • Design a CD(4 ¾ x 4 ¾) cover that depicts the history of measurement. Use the above bullets in your design along with pictures and major dates in history. The CD cover must have a front and back cover. Each cover should be front and back with pictures and information. Somewhere on the front cover should be the name of the course along with your names.

In both of the above processes, attach a work-cited page for all of the web sites you used, following proper citation style.

Questions to Guide Your Web Quest:

  1. According to archeological records, which civilizations were the first to record measurements?
  1. Around the time of the Roman Empire the terms inch, foot, and yard were refined. What was the length of a foot based on?
  1. For what reason did theFrenchAcademy of Sciencecreate themetric system?
  1. What was the Treaty of the Meter (May 20, 1875)?
  1. How was the length of a standard meter defined in the year 1791?
  1. How was the length of a standard meter redefined in the year 1983?
  1. What was the significance of the Metric Act of 1866?
  1. What were some of the early tools to help aid in measurement?
  1. What major engineering blunders were results of faulty measurement?

Resources

Web sites:

History of Measurement:

A brief history of measurement.systems. Retrieved January 9, 2007 from

EOI. (n.d.) A brief history of measurement. Retrieved January 9, 2007 from

Welcome to Ellerbruch.nmu.edu! (n.d.) History of measurement: how did it all begin. Retrieved January 9, 2007 from

Measurement Tools:

About. (n.d.) The history of measurement and measuring tools. Retrieved January 9, 2007from

Conclusion

  1. Why are standardized units of measure important to scientists?
  1. Why are standardized units of measure important to engineering?
  1. Which unit of measurement is used the most in science and engineering around the world?

Project Lead The Way, Inc.

Copyright 2007

IED – Unit 1 – Lesson 1.3 – Project 1.3.1 – History of Measurement – Page 1