HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

OF MEASUREMENT
LILIBETH C. DELA CRUZ
Math 7 Teacher
Imagine the world where people do not
have knowledge on measurement.

• Cite possible scenarios in that kind of world.

• What could have possibly necessitated man to use
measurement?
HISTORY OF MEASUREMENT
• To measure the quantity of anything, we need a comparison with some precise
unit value. Early humans used body parts and natural surroundings to provide
suitable measuring instruments.
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I. Ancient System
 Rudimentary measures became essential in primitive human societies for tasks such
as building dwellings, making clothing, bartering for food and exchanging raw
materials:

 Early Babylonian and Egyptian records show that length was first measured with
the forearm (cubit), hand (palm and span) and the finger (digit).
 The cycles of the Sun, moon and other celestial bodies were used for time
measures.

Hour glass

sundial
As trade and commerce expanded, it became
necessary to standardize measurement systems,
not only within a given country but also between
countries. This reduced the likelihood of
disagreements arising from measurement system
misunderstandings.
 II. The English System
 A Weights and Measures Act (1824) redefined common units of measurement in England.
Before this, standardization was only achieved through royal decree:

• Edward II (1324) defined the inch as 3 barleycorns.

• Henry I (1130) decreed that 1 yard is the distance from the tip of his nose to the end of
his outstretched thumb
• Queen Elizabeth I (1575) altered the mile to 5280 feet so it became 8 furlongs (1 furlong
= 220 yards).

This plaque shows British

imperial standards of
length. The plaque was
mounted outside the Royal
Greenwich Observatory in
1866. The public used the
standards to check the
accuracy of their rulers.
Cont. English system
Cont. English system
III. The French System/metric system
 During the French Revolution (1789–1799), the French Academy of Sciences
was asked to “deduce an invariable standard for all the measures and all the
weights”.

 The Academy decided on two founding principles. The system would be:

*based on scientific observation

*a decimal or base 10 system.

In this system:
•the unit of length – metre = one 10 millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the
equator along the meridian running near Dunkirk in France and Barcelona in Spain
•the unit of mass – gram = the mass of 1 cm3 of water at its temperature of
maximum density. 1 L of water has a mass of 1 kg at this temperature.
 Cont. French system
The new calendar consisted of 12 months of 30 days each,
with a 5–6 day holiday to complete the 365-day year. Each day
was divided into 10 hours, 100 minutes per hour and 100
seconds per minute, but the new calendar was never actually
used.
IV. Metric System
 Rudimentary measures became essential in primitive human societies for tasks such
as building dwellings, making clothing, bartering for food and exchanging raw
materials:

 Early Babylonian and Egyptian records show that length was first measured with
the forearm (cubit), hand (palm and span) and the finger (digit).
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