Need for Measurement

Introduction:

The measurement plays a vital role in our day-to-day life. But we tend to take this advantage of measurement for granted and we often fail to appreciate just how this helps us and how much we are dependent on the measurement tools. When the measurement tools are not available then we begin to appreciate them for how important they are in our life. If we were given a task to live without the measurement for even a single day, then we would see how vital the role measurement plays in our everyday lives. Hence without any doubt, the normal day would be impossible without measurement.

 

 

A brief outline of the topic:

Modern society simply cannot deal without measurement. The physical properties on which we humans have developed accurate measures and without which we could not live our normal daily lives are as follows:

• Time
• Size
• Distance
• Speed
• Direction
• Weight
• Volume
• Temperature
• Pressure
• Force
• Sound
• Light
• Energy

Luckily we are in a world that allows us to make the measurements. The measurement tools help to make our lives better and safer additionally they enhance the quality and quantity of our daily life. The ability to measure the physical properties with accuracy has an absolute survival value that provides humans an adaptive, evolutionary advantage through so many years of natural selection. Therefore evolution may well have been selected for the measurement capabilities in the life of human beings.

The producers of the measurement database are there to provide comprehensive and accurate information about the measurement tools in a variety of fields and professions including medicines, the nursing profession, the public health, psychology, the social work, the communication field, sociology, and the organizational behavior of human resources. To reflect the critical importance of measurement in the field of research and practices the Health and Psychosocial Instruments database is designed to improve access to measurement instruments in the health and psychosocial sciences worldwide. By improving the access to measurement tools the quality and validity of science will also be improved. Never ignore the vital role that measurement plays and without which modern life could not exist.

A brief note of important concepts and laws:

It is very important to understand the level of measurement of different variables in the field of research since the level of measurement plays a role in determining the type of statistical analysis that can be conducted and hence the type of conclusions that can be obtained from the research. To measure a physical quantity, we need to compare it with a fixed known physical quantity of the same kind which means with its unit. Therefore the measurement of a physical quantity is always written as the combination of a numeral along with its particular unit. This numeral specifies how much time the number of units is repeated.

The physical quantities are the substances that can be measured. By measuring the physical quantities we will be able to measure the mass, weight, and different physical properties, for example, distance, speed, mass, pressure, force, momentum, energy.

The physical quantity is a property that can be quantified by the measurement of a material or system. The physical quantity may be represented as the combination of a unit and a numerical value. The measures of physical quantities are represented in unit units, which have their numerical meanings. Without mentioning units the scientists will consider it very difficult to significantly evaluate the measured values.

Let’s try to imagine living a day without any measurement:

When you go to bed you begin to think at what time you will wake up the next morning to go to work. If there will be no measurement there will be no clocks or alarms as well to awaken you at a selected time.

Then after you wake up, you could not use an electric stove, oven, or microwave to prepare your breakfast or coffee since these devices also depend on the measurements of temperature or time to heat food and beverages. Neither you will be able to use a modern refrigerator because the refrigeration requires the measurement to keep food and beverages at a preset temperature.

To reach the workplace you will not be able to drive since modern automobiles use onboard computers, which depend on the measurement to control the ignition system, automatic transmission, brakes, engine temperature, throttle position, and also the mix of fuel and oxygen. Neither you will be able to know how much fuel your vehicle had without taking the help of any measurement there would be no fuel gauge or dipstick to check these fluid levels. Even if you could drive a car, you would not know how fast you were going because you would not have a speedometer.

The measurement is the process by which we can measure a physical quantity using a specific instrument for that quantity. In today’s technology, engineers carry out such experiments. We have to take readings during performing any experiments. Therefore some of the measures are required for these types of experiments. Therefore the measurements are essential for manufacturing and for quality control. By measuring a physical quantity we get to know the properties of a material with which the physical quantity is related.If a world has no measurement tools then there could be no modern medicine, healthcare, surgery, pharmacology, radiology, dentistry, optometry, or audiology. And in this measureless world, there will be no science.

Also read: Structure of Proteins

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions):

Q: What are the 3 types of measurement?

Ans: The three types of measurements are the International System of Units (SI) units, the British Imperial System, and the US Customary System. From these three the International System of Units (SI) units are used majorly.

Q: What is measurement?

Ans: The comparison of an unknown quantity with a known fixed quantity of the same kind is known as the measurement. The value which we get from measuring a quantity is called its magnitude. The magnitude of a quantity can be expressed as the numbers present in its units.