Measuring the world

The use of measurements is everywhere, both seen and unseen. It is used to describe the dimensions
of buildings and furniture, manufacture and sale of products, nutrition information, sport, medical
dosage, our weight and height, sale of packaged and loose food products, road signs, energy
consumption, mobile phone usage, transport and many other applications of everyday aspects of
modern life.
One of the earliest types of measurement concerned that of length. These measurements were usually based
on parts of the body. A well documented example (the first) is the Egyptian cubit which was derived from
the length of the arm from the elbow to the outstretched finger tips. By 2500 BC this had been standardized
in a royal master cubit made of black marble (about 52 cm). This cubit was divided into 28 digits (roughly a
finger width) which could be further divided into fractional parts, the smallest of these being only just over a
millimeter.
In England units of measurement were not properly standardized until the 13th century, though variations
(and abuses) continued until long after that. For example, there were three different gallons (ale, wine and
corn) up until 1824 when the gallon was standardized.
In the U S A the system of weights and measured first adopted was that of the English, though a few
differences came in when decisions were made at the time of standardization in 1836. For instance, the wine-
gallon of 231 cubic inches was used instead of the English one (as defined in 1824) of about 277 cubic
inches. The U S A also took as their standard of dry measure the old Winchester bushel of 2150.42 cubic
inches, which gave a dry gallon of nearly 269 cubic inches.
Even as late as the middle of the 20th century there were some differences in UK and US measures which
were nominally the same. The UK inch measured 2.53998 cm while the US inch was 2.540005 cm. Both
were standardized at 2.54 cm in July 1959, though the U S continued to use 'their' value for several years in
land surveying work - this too is slowly being metricated.
In France the metric system officially started in June 1799 with the declared intent of being 'For all people,
for all time'. The unit of length was the metre which was defined as being one ten-millionth part of a quarter
of the earth's circumference. The production of this standard required a very careful survey to be done which
took several years. However, as more accurate instruments became available so the 'exactness' of the
standard was called into question. Later efforts were directed at finding some absolute standard based on an
observable physical phenomenon. Over two centuries this developed into the S I. So maybe their original
slogan was more correct than anyone could have foreseen then.
Wrong or inaccurate measurements can lead to wrong decisions, which can have serious consequences,
costing money and even lives. The human and financial consequences of wrong decisions based on poor
measurement being taken in matters as important as medicine, as an example, are almost incalculable. It is
important therefore to have reliable and accurate measurements which are agreed and accepted by the
relevant authorities worldwide.

Workplace Accidents
Accidents in the workplace occur approximately 1.6 million times a year. This is an alarming statistic,
especially since most accidents, even minor ones signify a certain time away from work. It is therefore very
important to identify the major causes of accidents as the first step in preventing them in order to reduce
injury and health care costs.
Workplace accidents are categorized as trips or slips, falls, strikes from an object, lifting accidents, and falls
from heights. Trips and slips are caused by clutter or slippery surfaces. This can be the result of floors not
being properly mopped for spilled liquid or leaked machinery fluids. Clutter can also result in trips which
can further lead to minor and sometimes major injuries. Defective flooring and poorly lighted areas can put
workers at risk for tripping and slipping. Falls from heavy objects overhead can also occur when pulling
boxes from shelves. Falls from heights are common in construction areas and in workplaces where tall
ladders are used. Other types of injuries that you can encounter in the workplace include burns, whether
chemical, thermal or electrical, lacerations, repetitive strain injuries and back and neck injuries.
Prevention is the most important measure to avoid workplace accidents. Avoiding accidents in the workplace
is the first step to preventing lost hours from work and expensive health care fees. Keeping walkways and
workspaces well lighted, free from clutter, and the floors from any spills will reduce the risk of any
accidental trips, slips or falls. Making sure that ladders work well and are stable enough for use will prevent
falls. The installation of adequate lighting, cleaning up the floors of spilled fluids, clearing workspaces of
clutter, and making sure that supportive devices for climbing atop tall heights are secure are just some of the
measures one can take to prevent workplace accidents. Each workplace must also have emergency medical
equipment available such as an emergency first aid kit or a nurses station to handle injuries before
specialized treatment becomes available.
It is extremely important to make sure that all equipment is inspected regularly. In most cases, a daily pre-
check should be carried out. Make sure the employees know the importance of checking all equipment
before they use it. Employees must know who is responsible for checking that any safety guards or switches
are in good working order and that any moving parts, waste collectors and other gadgets have been oiled
regularly. It takes only a split second of concentration loss to lose a finger in cutting equipment but often,
experienced workers have disabled safety features to make a machine easier to use.
Employers should make a list of all equipment in use and decide how and when it should be
checked and who will note that an inspection has been undertaken. In the event of an accident, this
will at least show that dangers have been taken seriously and that procedures are in place to keep
employees safe.
The Top 5 Inventions of All Time
As youll see in the following list, the top 5 inventions of all time are no accident. Admittedly, there are
countless inventions that have had a similarly notable impact the battery, the camera, GPS some of which
are even incorporated into the below-mentioned inventions. But when considering the developmental
impacts resulting from each, the following five inventions are hard to beat.
1. The Internet Invented in 1969 (and not by Al Gore), the World Wide Web grew from just four
users in 1969 to 50,000 in 1988, from there, a million in 1991 and 500 million by 2001. Today there are over
1.2 billion people (roughly 19 percent of the world) connected online. And whether its used for social
media, shopping or to find information, the Internet has forever changed the landscape of the world, arguably
making it considerably smaller in the process.
2. The Barcode First invented by a student in the early 1950s, barcodes were originally intended to
provide a kind of visual Morse code. Retailers were initially slow to adopt the technology, which at the time
was somewhat unreliable. But that changed in the early 1970s when the same student, Norman Woodland,
devised the Universal Product Code while working for IBM. Since then, the familiar black stripes have
appeared on everything from orange juice to a pair of designer sunglasses, revolutionizing sales and
inventory management in the space of less than one square inch.
3. Internal Combustion Engine The significance of the internal combustion engine may have fallen
from grace in the hybrid, fuel-efficient world of today. But with its first rumbling in 1859, its significance
has left a permanent mark on the development and modernization of society, in particular farming and
manufacturing. Without the internal combustion engine, we would not be able to drive, fly or travel by train.
We would not be able to build factories, sail across oceans or even cut the grass in our front yards. tienne
Lenoir, a Belgian inventor, gets the credit for producing the first working internal combustion engine. He
then converted it to a steam engine in 1859. At the time, it was capable of producing a measly one
horsepower and was almost inoperably inefficient. But since then, manufacturers have continuously
redefined the basic design, creating the countless generations and billions of engines that have been built
since.
4. LASER LASER short for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation is used in
everything from home blu-ray players to advanced weaponry. Albert Einstein was the first one to initiate its
development in 1917 when he proposed that atoms could be stimulated to emit photons in a single direction.
Three decades later, this phenomenon was first observed. And in 1960, Theodore Maiman, a physicist, built
the first working laser. Maimans laser was based around a ruby crystal that was said to emit light brighter
than the centre of the sun.
5. Mobile phone The first device was introduced by Bell Laboratories in Missouri in 1947. Since then,
similar to any other device that has evolved into modern life: the cell phone has undergone widespread
refinements, shrinking in size while increasing in power, range and complexity. Today, everything from
modern business negotiations to those long distance calls home at Thanksgiving are made affordable with the
technology of the mobile phone.
Renewable Energy

Renewable energy resources, such as wind, solar and hydropower, offer clean alternatives to fossil fuels.
They produce little or no pollution or greenhouse gases, and they will never run out.
Solar Energy The sun is our most powerful source of energy. Sunlight, or solar energy, can be
used for heating, lighting and cooling homes and other buildings, generating electricity, water heating, and a
variety of industrial processes. Most forms of renewable energy come either directly or indirectly from the
sun. For example, heat from the sun causes the wind to blow, contributes to the growth of trees and other
plants that are used for biomass energy, and plays an essential role in the cycle of evaporation and
precipitation that makes hydropower possible.
Wind Energy Wind is the movement of air that occurs when warm air rises and cooler air rushes in
to replace it. The energy of the wind has been used for centuries to sail ships and drive windmills that grind
grain. Today, wind energy is captured by wind turbines and used to generate electricity.
Hydropower Water flowing downstream is a powerful force. Water is a renewable resource,
constantly recharged by the global cycle of evaporation and precipitation. The heat of the sun causes water in
lakes and oceans to evaporate and form clouds. The water then falls back to Earth as rain or snow, and drains
into rivers and streams that flow back to the ocean. Flowing water can be used to power water wheels that
drive mechanical processes. And captured by turbines and generators, the energy of flowing water can be
used to generate electricity.
Biomass Energy Biomass has been an important source of energy ever since people first began
burning wood to cook food and warm themselves against the winter chill. Wood is still the most common
source of biomass energy, but other sources of biomass energy include food crops, grasses and other plants,
agricultural and forestry waste, organic components from municipal and industrial wastes, even methane gas
harvested from community landfills. Biomass can be used to produce electricity and as fuel for
transportation, or to manufacture products that would otherwise require the use of non-renewable fossil fuels.
Hydrogen Hydrogen has tremendous potential as a fuel and energy source, but the technology
needed to realize that potential is still in the early stages. Hydrogen is the most common element on Earth
for example, water is two-thirds hydrogenbut in nature it is always found in combination with other
elements. Once separated from other elements, hydrogen can be used to power vehicles, replace natural gas
for heating and cooking, and to generate electricity.
Geothermal Energy The heat inside the Earth produces steam and hot water that can be used to
power generators and produce electricity, or for other applications such as home heating and power
generation for industry. Geothermal energy can be drawn from deep underground reservoirs by drilling, or
from other geothermal reservoirs closer to the surface.
Ocean Energy The ocean provides several forms of renewable energy, and each one is driven by
different forces. Energy from ocean waves and tides can be harnessed to generate electricity, and ocean
thermal energyfrom the heat stored in sea watercan also be converted to electricity. Using current
technologies, most ocean energy is not cost-effective compared to other renewable energy sources, but the
ocean remains and important potential energy source for the future.