Ed #12 Standards

Numbers—mathematics—are the world’s only universal language, understood across nations and cultures, and they play a part in virtually all human activities. With numbers, we explore the mysteries of the universe and bake cakes that serve eight; we calculate commissions and chart a course. We gain the ability to set common standards. We make better decisions. We live better lives.

Units of measurement were some of the earliest tools that humans developed—sophisticated systems were in use more than 5,000 years ago—and are still in use by their descendants today.

Most traditional measurement standards are based on the human body. One of the first, the Egyptian cubit, was the length of the arm from the elbow to the extended fingertips. Of course, the length of the cubit varied according to the length of each person’s arm. To correct for the differences, the Egyptians established the Royal cubit, which sounds like it might belong in the next Indiana Jones movie. Actually, it was simply a black granite rod that everyone could use to standardize their own measuring rods.

The human body was the standard for many other measurements too. The inch was first defined as the width of a thumb. The foot began as the length of a human foot, although it has since grown to be longer than the average size. The yard was defined as the distance from the tip of the nose to end of the middle finger of the outstretched hand. If you stretch both arms out to the side, you will have a fathom, or six feet.