Summary

Jacqueline Goss and Jenny Perlin retrace the journey of two eighteenth century astronomers tasked with determining the true length of the meter. From the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel, 'The Measures' explores the metric system's origins during the violence and upheavals of the French Revolution. Along the way, Goss and Perlin consider the intertwining of politic and personal turmoil, the failures of standardization, and the subtleties of collaboration.