Measurement is a fundamental concept that underpins almost every aspect of the modern world. It is central to the sciences, social sciences, medicine, and economics, but it affects everyday life. We measure everything - from the distance of far-off galaxies to the temperature of the air, levels of risk, political majorities, taxes, blood pressure, IQ, and weight. The history of measurement goes back to the ancient world, and its story has been one of gradual standardization. Today there are different types of measurement, levels of accuracy, and systems of units, applied in different contexts. Measurement involves notions of variability, accuracy, reliability, and error, and challenges such as the measurement of extreme values. In this Very Short Introduction, David Hand explains the common mathematical framework underlying all measurement, the main approaches to measurement, and the challenges involved. Following a brief historical account of measurement, he discusses measurement as used in the physical sciences and engineering, the life sciences and medicine, the social and behavioural sciences, economics, business, and public policy. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
... Foster ARCHAEOLOGY Paul Bahn ARCHITECTURE Andrew Ballantyne ARISTOCRACY William Doyle ARISTOTLE Jonathan Barnes ART ... John Sutherland THE BIBLE John Riches BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY Eric H. Cline BIOGRAPHY Hermione Lee THE BLUES Elijah ...
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly.
This Very Short Introduction examines what science has learned about how people deal with risks, what we can learn through decision theory, and how we can evaluate risk in our own lives.
... and he used this to move a pair of curb pins that automatically. 9. Marine chronometer by Thomas Earnshaw, London, c.1800. Inside the movement has Earnshaw's spring-detent escapement and temperature compensation balance.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly.
This book lifts the corner of that veil and, in doing so, shows that there are aspects of the familiar world that are occasionally puzzling, sometimes downright extraordinary, and often more intriguing than is generally believed.
This volume describes the new field of cognitive neuroscience - the study of what happens in the brain when we perceive, think, reason, remember, and act.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly.
Starting with an examination of how historians work, this "Very Short Introduction" aims to explore history in a general, pithy, and accessible manner, rather than to delve into specific periods.
THE ICE AGE Jamie Woodward IDENTITY Florian Coulmas IDEOLOGY Michael Freeden THE IMMUNE SYSTEM Paul Klenerman INDIAN CINEMA Ashish Rajadhyaksha INDIAN PHILOSOPHY Sue Hamilton THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Robert C. Allen INFECTIOUS DISEASE ...