The Story of Weights and Measures describes the history of measurement systems ranging from the earliest methods of measuring, using parts of the body such as palms and digits, to the latest high-tech systems used to quantify atoms and stars. The reader learns about how we evaluate temperature and the weather, about maps and map scales, light years, gravity, and modern balances and scales. Organized chronologically from ancient history to the present, the volume is illustrated throughout with colorful photographs and drawings of artifacts and objects. Along with boxes which highlight inventions, personalities, and amazing facts, The Story of Weights and Measures supplies the reader with a timeline, a glossary and an index.The Signs of the Times series presents the history of basic systems of communication and calculation for children aged eight to ten.