Measurement

Essential ideas:

• Since 1948, the Système International d’Unités (SI) has been used as the preferred language of science and technology across the globe and reflects current best measurement practice.
• Scientists aim towards designing experiments that can give a “true value” from their measurements, but due to the limited precision in measuring devices, they often quote their results with some form of uncertainty.
• Some quantities (vectors) have direction and magnitude, others have magnitude only, and this understanding is the key to correct manipulation of quantities. This sub-topic will have broad applications across multiple fields within physics and other sciences.

Since the 18th century, scientists have sought to establish common systems of measurements to facilitate international collaboration across science disciplines and ensure replication and comparability of experimental findings.

Improvement in instrumentation: An improvement in apparatus and instrumentation, such as using the transition of cesium-133 atoms for atomic clocks, has led to more refined definitions of standard units.

Although scientists are perceived as working towards finding “exact” answers, the unavoidable uncertainty in any measurement always exists