How to Measure Anything

Learn about scales of measurement used in everything from meteorology to music notation in this comprehensive and informative reference guide.

Measurement is constantly all around us. It forms the foundations of science — the ohms and amps of physics and the moles and isotopes of chemistry — and shapes our every day.

Our relationships with measurement start the moment we wake and check the day’s temperature and continue until the precise second we go to sleep. But beyond the familiar measurements, hundreds more are listed in this entertaining and revealing reference book.

Packed with unusual and fascinating facts ranging from everyday amounts, such as how much salt is there in a pinch (1/8 teaspoon), to key scientific measurements, including the parsec, which is equivalent to 3.26 light-years, or just over 19.26 trillion miles, How to Measure Anything’s entries are accompanied by diagrams, symbols, and illustrations to help demonstrate these concepts and measurements in action.

The methods used to measure food, photography, finance, commerce, magnetism, and atomic physics are just a fraction of the areas covered in this essential guide that helps us to better understand how our world works.