| Interesting Math History |
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| Question : |
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What is the origin of Measure ? |
Answer : |
The word measurement comes from the Greek metron means limited
proportion.
The measure had its origin in something concrete unlike numbers, which are abstract. To start with some parts of the human
body was used as a basis for establishing a suitable standard for a measure of distance, and as each particular standard
for a measure was established an effort was made to divide the standard into smaller units of measure.
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As such since there is no direct relationship between Hindu-Arabic system of number and its collection of measures, and as
man learned to use different measures, he tried to make an arbitrary relationship between different units. Thus, the ratio
of the foot to the mile 1 to 3, and the ratio of the foot to the mile 1 to 5280.
In ancient times, the body ruled when it came to measuring. The length of a foot, the width of a finger, and the distance of
a step were all accepted measurements.
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