Robert P. Crease writes the "Critical Point" column for Physics World . He is the chairman of the philosophy department at Stony Brook University and lives in New York City. He is the author of, among other books, The Prism and the Pendulum .
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| Introduction: The Noonday Cannon | |
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| Vitruvian Man | |
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| Ancient China: Feet and Flutes | |
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| West Africa: Gold Weights | |
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| France: "Realities of Life and Labor" | |
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| Halting Steps Toward Universality | |
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| "One of the Greatest Triumphs of Modern Civilization" | |
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| Metrophilia and Metrophobia | |
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| Surely You're Joking, Mr. Duchamp! | |
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| Dreams of a Final Standard | |
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| Universal System: The SI | |
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| The Modern Metroscape | |
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| Au Revoir, Kilogram | |
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| Epilogue | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Notes | |
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| Illustration Credits | |
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| Index | |
