万物的尺度
The Measure of All Things
Ken Alder · 初版 2001 年
9人推荐
10位读者提及
11次提及
为什么值得读
- 兼具科学史实与历史小说的趣味
- 揭示米制起源中鲜为人知的数据伪造
- 展现法国大革命时期的科学与政治纠葛
1792年6月，博学而通达的Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Delambre与谨慎而严谨的Pierre-Francois-Andre Mechain从巴黎出发——一人向北前往敦刻尔克，另一人向南前往巴塞罗那，去测量并计算一米的长度。面对来自乡村革命委员会的死亡威胁、迷信的农民以及内战的混乱，他们只能依靠彼此的智慧和书信互相扶持。他们的测算成果后来被用于创立我们如今所熟知的公制系统。尽管付出了艰苦卓绝的努力，Mechain还是在计算中犯了一个错误，他
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……我怀疑这不会是最后一次。这大概可以追溯到更久以前，但我知道法国人在大革命时期推行其他所有度量衡合理化的时候，就试图把时间十进制化。（参考肯·奥尔德的《万物的度量》，毫无疑问这是我读过的最棒的非虚构类书籍。）我认为它没流行开来的原因是，我们现有的系统其实也没那么差。如果从我身边的角度来看，一切运转得都很完美。……
…I doubt it will be the last. It probably goes back much further, but I know that the French tried to decimalize time in the revolution when they were rationalizing all the other measurements. (see The Measure of All Things by Ken Alder, without question the finest nonfiction book Ive ever read.) The reason I think it doesn't catch on is that what we have really isn't too bad. If I'm thinking locally, everything works perfectly.…
……小说”，你了解过科学叙事类作品吗？它们既可以有历史小说的趣味性，又能让你了解真实发生的事件。我脑海中浮现的最爱是关于米制历史的《万物的度量》（The Measure of All Things）：http://www.amazon.com/Measure-All-Things-Seven-Year-Transfor...
…fiction" have you looked into narratives of science? They can be written with the fun aspects of historical fiction, but you come out with knowledge about real events. My favorite that comes to mind is "The Measure of All Things" about the history of the meter: http://www.amazon.com/Measure-All-Things-Seven-Year-Transfor...
他们当年确实尝试过推行十进制时间[1]，还有十进制周[2]。不过都没能延续下来。如果你对公制系统的历史感兴趣，不妨看看《万物的度量》[3]，绝对是一本神作 [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_time [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Republican_Calendar [3] https://www.amazon.com/Measure-All-Things-Seven-Year-Transfo...
They actually tried to introduce decimal time[1], as well as a decimal week[2]. They didn't stick though. If you are interested on the topic of the history of the metric system, check out The Measure of All Things[3], an absolutely fantastic read [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_time [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Republican_Calendar [3] https://www.amazon.com/Measure-All-Things-Seven-Year-Transfo...
……对法国大革命时期的科学与政治感兴趣，以及想了解最小二乘法等方法最初是如何应用的，肯·奥尔德的《万物的度量：改变世界的七年历险与隐秘误差》是一部极好的历史著作（勒让德在其中扮演了配角）。（“真理属于所有人，而错误仅属于我们自己。”）
…interested in the science and politics of the French Revolution period and how methods like least squares were first applied, a wonderful history (in which Legendre plays a supporting role) is Ken Alder’s The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World. (“The truth belongs to everyone, but error is ours alone.”)
关于这个话题，我推荐读读肯·奥尔德的《万物的度量》。这本书讲述了公制系统的起源，以及它是如何部分建立在伪造数据之上的。梅尚并不相信自己那套出色的测量数据（米被定义为……
On this topic, I recommend reading "Measure of All Things" by Ken Alder. It is a book about the origins of the metric system and how it is partially based on forged data. Méchain did not trust his own excellent surveying observations (the meter was defined as…
顺便提一下，我推荐读读肯·奥尔德的《万物的度量》，讲的是公制系统的起源以及有史以来第一次科学会议。读起来出乎意料地引人入胜。https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Measure-of-All-Th...
Relatedly, I recommend reading "The Measure of All Things" by Ken Alder about the origins of the metric system and the first scientific conference ever. It is a surprisingly gripping read. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Measure-of-All-Th...