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A Tale About the First Weights and Measures Intercomparison in the United States in 1832

Published

Author(s)

Albert C. Parr

Abstract

In preparation for the Hassler memorial tablet dedication in the NIST Administration Building lobby in December of 2004, I learned that Ferdinand Rudolf Hassler had carried out the first systematic study of weights and measures in the United States. I obtained a copy of Comparison of Weights and Measures of Length and Capacity Reported to the Senate of the United States which is Hassler s 1832 report to Congress on this comparison that related all the weights and measures then in use by the states and federal custom-houses. Hand-written inscriptions in the book reveal interesting facts about Hassler s work and his communication with other scientists in Europe at that time.
Citation
Journal of Research (NIST JRES) -
Volume
111 No. 1

Keywords

Hassler, history, intercomparison

Citation

Parr, A. (2006), A Tale About the First Weights and Measures Intercomparison in the United States in 1832, Journal of Research (NIST JRES), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=840998 (Accessed March 28, 2024)
Created April 1, 2006, Updated February 17, 2017