Adobe Acrobat software has a marvelous function that can create pdf files that display an image of an original document while indexing the words within the document so that they can be found in a search. Seeing a document in its original format can be very enlightening. Unfortunately the OCR sometimes makes mistakes, especially on words in italics, and we know of no way of correcting these errors. One therefore can't be certain that a search has recovered every occurrence of a word, or that every word in the document has been indexed. This problem affects only those items described below as “imaged, searchable.” In the other pdfs the search will be entirely accurate.
Tractatus de Ponderibus et Mensuris
Twelfth century document defining a wide range of units.
25 Edward III, Chapters 9 and 10. (1352)
Defines the stone and sack of wool, specifies use of a level balance. Calls for stricken measure.
11 Henry VII, chapter 4. (1495)
Members of parliament to take legal standards home with them. Defines stone and sack of wool.
12 Henry VII, Chapter 5. (1496)
Reform of the bushel and gallon.
The 1824 law establishing imperial measure. Imaged, searchable PDF file slightly less than 5 MB in size.
The Wine Gallon. Excerpts from the Carysfort Committee report, 1758.
A pretty thorough history of the wine gallon by a parliamentary committee. PDF file.
First Report of the Commissioners appointed by His Majesty to consider the subject of Weights and Measures, 1819.
First of a series of reports that led to the imperial weights and measures. Imaged, searchable pdf file.
Second Report of the Commissioners appointed by His Majesty to consider the subject of Weights and Measures, 1820.
Imaged, searchable pdf file, 13+ MB.
Third Report of the Commissioners appointed by His Majesty to consider the subject of Weights and Measures, 1821.
Imaged, searchable pdf file, 8+ MB.
Wilfred G. Lockett. 1997. An Inch of Water: Hydraulic Measurements in the Eighteenth Century.
Wilhelm Weber. ”On the measurement of electro-dynamic forces.” 1848.
One of the studies that made electric units possible by relating them to mechanics. An English translation from Weber's time. PDF file, with explanatory appendices. Technical.
The International Conference for the Determination of the Electrical Units, 1882.
Science, vol. 1, number 4 (March 2, 1883).
U.S. legalizes electric units, 1894.
T. C. Mendenhall.
Legal Units of Electric Measure.
Science, New Series, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan. 4,
1895)
Units at the International Electrical Congress.
Nature, Vol. 62, no. 1609, page 414. 30 August 1900.
Measuring knots at sea. Excerpt from;
John Hamilton Moore.
The New Practical Navigator, being an epitome of navigation..... 11th
edition.
London, 1795.
Manufacturing wire. Excerpt from:
Hugh P. Tiemann.
Iron and Steel. A Pocket Encyclopedia.
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1910.
Glasiers' Terms of Art. Excerpt from
Randle Holmes.
The Academy of Armory, or, a storehouse of armory and blazon: containing the
several variety of created beings, and how born in coats of arms, both foreign
and domestick : with the instruments used in all trades and sciences, together
with their terms of art : also the etymologies, definitions, and historical
observations on the same, explicated and explained according to our modern
language : very usefel [sic] for all gentlemen, scholars, divines, and all such
as desire any knowledge in arts and sciences.
Chester [England]: Printed for the author, 1688.
An early example of the thinking that led to the metric system.
John Wilkins.
An Essay towards a real character, and a philosophical language.
London: Printed for Sa. Gellibrand, and for John Martyn, 1668.
France. A traveler's observations on the state of weights and measures in 1787 – 1789. Excerpt from
Arthur Young.
Travels during the Years 1787, 1788. & 1789: undertaken more particularly
with a view of ascertaining the cultivation, wealth, resources, and national
prosperity of the kingdom of France. 2nd edition.
London: Printed for W. Richardson, 1794.
Orkneys and Shetland. Excerpts from:
Dr. Barry.
History of the Orkney Islands... The Second Edition, with revisions and
additions by James Headrick.
London: Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme, 1808.
John R. Tudor.
The Orkneys and Shetland. Their Past and Present State.
London: Edward Stanford, 1883.
The statute establishing a standard gauge for sheet and plate iron and steel.
The statute defining units of electrical measure.
The statute regarding daylight saving time.
Federal Standard 376B. Preferred Metric Units for General Use by the Federal Government. (Edition of January 1993)
Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities.
The model regulation suggested for adoption by state legislatures by the National Conference of Weights and Measures. It describes the customary sizes of numerous commodities. A PDF file.
Barry N. Taylor. Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI).
National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 811, 1995 edition. In the United States, this is the definitive pronouncement on usage. A PDF file.
Barry N. Taylor. The International System of Units (SI).
National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 330, 2008 edition. A PDF file. The official translation for the United States of the controlling document (which is in French). For historical purposes, we also provide the 2001 edition, the 1995 edition and the 1991 edition.
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Last revised: 28 April 2008.