The Tao of Measurement

This book deals with the past, present, and future of flow, sensors, and measurement. It is called The Tao of Measurement because, like the Tao itself, it reveals the underlying principles of flow and measurement. It explains the engineering and physics of flow and sensors, how our units of measurement were derived, present day measurement practices, and how today's scientific tools can improve our units of measurement.

The book's opening chapters explore the technologies of temperature, pressure, and flow measurement. The authors reveal the history of units of measurement and describe how they came to be used today. The book then presents a thorough discussion of the different types of temperature sensors, pressure transmitters, and flowmeters. It contains an explanation of applications, and then comments on trends in sensors and measurement. Each chapter includes a handy glossary of units of measurement.

The authors then turn their attention to three very familiar but vital subjects: time, length and area. They trace the origins of today's units of measurement for these variables, all the way back to Greek and Roman times, then follow their development to today's atomic clocks and the standard meter, now defined in terms of wavelengths of light.