Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 edition. Excerpt: ... 21. fundamental definitions and units and the ceer theory The treatment of natural quantities is made possible by means of assigning certain magnitudes and in some instances a sense or direction property. The atomic elements are the magnitudes that are smallest. We have seen that throughout nature entity magnitudes are composed of practically identical elements. The aim of the laboratory is to obtain the smallest number of elements for the description of phenomena and to select these elements so that they can be the most universally and conveniently used. In the past, definitions and units of a local character have usually been selected for given natural systems. The foot length is convenient in the making of shoes. The meter is adapted to geodetic work. The definition of unit density in terms of water or the unit electric charge in terms of the repulsion of spheres are all examples of convenient local units. The great disadvantage of these local units is that they have been defined for different local systems and none of them have been based upon the natural atomic elements. Units defined in terms of the natural elements would have their magnitudes and perhaps their sense qualities frequently expressed in a one to one correspondence to the elements themselves. Suppose that the unit of electric charge is defined in terms of the charge of the electron. Every number representing an electric charge would then be a positive or negative integer. A natural system of units would then always employ integers in the expression of the elements used for the definitions. If the finest grained elements are employed in the determination of the units then all magnitudes and senses or directions would be expressed in terms of integers. This is the...
