Measurement: A Very Short Introduction

Description

This Very Short Introduction explores the concept of measurement, its mathematical underpinnings, and its wide range of application from the sciences and social sciences to economics and commerce.

• Explains the basic mathematical framework behind measurement
• Provides a brief account of the history of units and measurement
• Examines the application of measurement in the physical and life sciences, medicine, social and behavioural sciences, economics, commerce, and public policy
• Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over seven million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

David J. Hand, Senior Research Investigator and Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Imperial College, London, and Chief Scientific Advisor to Winton Capital Management

David Hand was Professor of Statistics at the Open University and then at Imperial, until 2012. He is now Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Senior Research Investigator. He has written 17 books, both academic and more popular. His books include Statistics VSI (OUP, 2008), The Wellbeing of Nations (Wiley, 2014), and most recently, The Improbability Principle (Scientific American, 2014).

Table of Contents

1:A brief history
2:What is measurement?
3:Measurement in the physical sciences and engineering
4:Measurement in the life sciences, medicine, and health
5:Measurement in the behavioural sciences
6:Social sciences, economics, business, and public policy
7:And beyond
References
Further Reading
Index