The 17th-century Roots of the Metric System
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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The Metric System: Origins and Adoption
The hosts delve into the origins of the metric system, discussing the proposals made by John Wilkins and a French contemporary, as well as the rivalry surrounding its origin. They also explore the lengthy process of countries transitioning from imperial to metric measurements.
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Two men, working separately but simultaneously, are each cited as the originator of the idea of the metric system depending on what source you read. But it took more than 100 years to implement the ideas they suggested.
Research:
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- Evelyn, John. “The Diary of John Evelyn, Vol. 1.” M. Walter Dunne. 1901. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41218/41218-h/41218-h.htm#Footnote_49_49
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- Pepys, Samuel “Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete.” George Bell and Sons. London. 1893. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4200/4200-h/4200-h.htm
- Riebeek, Holli. “Planetary Motion: The History of an Idea That Launched the Scientific Revolution.” Earth Observatory NASA. July 7, 2009. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/OrbitsHistory
- Russell, Cristine. “Congress Inches Away from Metric Conversion.” BioScience, vol. 24, no. 8, 1974, pp. 441–43. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1296850
- Speziali, Pierre. “Mouton, Gabriel.” Dictionary of Scientific Biography, edited by Charles Coulston Gillespie. Vol. 9, pp. 554–555. New York. 1974.
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- Wallis, John, Dr. “The Origin of the Royal Society, 1645-1662.” Fordham University Modern History Sourcebook. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1662royalsociety.asp
- “Latitude Dependent Changes in Gravitational Acceleration.” UNLV Department of Geosicence. https://pburnley.faculty.unlv.edu/GEOL452_652/gravity/notes/GravityNotes18LatitudeVariations.htm
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- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "pendulum". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/technology/pendulum
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Imperial units". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Nov. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Imperial-unit
- Britannica, The Editors of E "metric system". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Nov. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/metric-system-measurement
- “Metrication in other countries.” U.S. Metric Associatio https://usma.org/metrication-in-other-countries#chart
- Ramani, Madhvi. “How France created the metric system.” BBC. Feb. 24, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20180923-how-france-created-the-metric-system
- Zupko, Ronald and Chisholm, Lawrence James. "measurement system."Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/measurement-system
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