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Reference Book Analysis

Reference Book Analysis. Susan Hanzelka LIBR 150: Spring 2008 Week 3 (500s). A Measure of Everything An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Measurement. Call Number: 530.81 MLS Bibliographic Citation:

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Reference Book Analysis

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  1. Reference Book Analysis Susan Hanzelka LIBR 150: Spring 2008 Week 3 (500s)

  2. A Measure of Everything An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Measurement Call Number: 530.81 MLS Bibliographic Citation: Joseph, Christopher. A Measure of Everything An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Measurement. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2005.

  3. Arrangement The book has 28 categories organized into three sections: • Earth and Life Sciences (astronomy, distance, time, meteorology and medicine). • Physical Sciences (chemistry, mathematics, physics, speed, weight and temperature). • Technology and Leisure (computers, engineering, finance, food and textiles).

  4. Indexing Theindexisalphabetical. =3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470938446095505822317253594081284811174502841027019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091

  5. Scope • This book includes units of measure dating from “before the dawn of civilization,” through “cutting-edge sciences” of today that require “exceptionally precise measurements.” • It covers everything from measuring rainfall to the karats in a diamond. Stonehenge

  6. Currency • Thisbookis up-to-date, through its publication year of 2005. As science progresses, new forms of measurement may become necessary. A “bomb” calorimeter

  7. Intended andAdditional Purposes • Product description from Amazon: “A Measure of Everything is an informative and entertaining book that will appeal to a wide range of readers.” • Students (middle school and up) would find this book useful. • Since the measuring includes everything from music, to optometry, to (money) interest, to googols and beyond, people from all walks of life would find this book interesting.

  8. Additional Purposes • Students of astronomy would enjoy the section on astronomy and astrology--it covers everything from measuring solar flares to galactocentric distance. • People interested in calendars and their history would like the section on this subject. We still have so many questions about Stonehenge! • Photographers would gain insight with the 26 entries on photography. • There are eight pages for musicians, including dynamic terms (e.g., piano, forte) and note values.

  9. Additional Purposes • People who love trivia about alcohol would find the commerce section interesting: • Pipe: a unit of liquid measurement used for wines, spirits and beer, equal to half a tun, or two hogsheads. It was also known as a butt, or puncheon. Confusingly, though, the word puncheon also occasionally defines other amounts.

  10. Additional Purposes(Reference Questions) • Question: What’s the gestation period for humans, rats, cats, and elephants? • Answer: 266 days (humans), 21 days (rats), 63 days (cats) and 624 days (elephants). • Question: What do they mean when they say “44 caliber gun”? • Answer: Caliber is the internal diameter of a gun barrel (or diameter of a bullet), so .44 would mean .44 inches. • Question: How far is it between railroad tracks? • Answer: Standard gauge, a standardized distance between the two rails of a railway track, is 4 feet 8-1/2 inches or 1.435 meters (60% of the world’s railway tracks are built to this gauge).

  11. Format Thisisapaperbackbookwith 224 pages. Its dimensions are 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches. Itis only available in paperback (no other formats). There are two editions (same year, different city). DNA helix

  12. Special Features • Appendix One: Names of Large Numbers This is a sample from the book. You can write a number three ways, in full, using scientific notation, and by name (which differs by country).

  13. Special Features • Appendix Two: Units of the Système Internationale This is a very small sample from the appendix. These include base and derived names.

  14. Special Features • Appendix Three: Symbols and Abbreviations (one page)Example: B magnetic field (force/current). • Graphics: This book has lots of color graphics (photos, drawings, graphs, etc.). H.S.V. color space

  15. Authority/Credentials • Christopher Joseph, general editor. Genre: science fiction. He has five works, which include Pocket Anatomy: a complete guide to the human body, for artists and students; Spire; and Black to Darkness, White to Light. • Marcus Weeks, contributor. Genre: diary fiction. He has 16 works in 5 languages, which include: Mozart: the boy who changed the world with his music; Office Pastimes: 50 things to do in the office that won't get you a pink slip; and The Devil’s Diaries. • Adam Parfitt, contributor. • David Price, contributor.

  16. Reviews Excerpts from customer reviews on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Measure-Everything-Illustrated-Science-Measurement/dp/B001SAREG4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239908838&sr=8-1): • T. Taylor: I bought this book at the request of my 8-year old daughter, but have enjoyed thumbing through it myself. To be sure, it is a dictionary of scientific measurement, not an encyclopaedia; yet almost all of the pages contain an illustration, chart, or graph of some kind….Having purchased this book, I do now rather wish that there was an encyclopedia version of the same subject. • Andrew Charig: "A measure of Everything" is a sort of encyclopedia of measurement units, but with many other definitions thrown in, without much rhyme or reason.

  17. Personal Impressions • As one Amazon reviewer wrote, I agree that the entries seem organized “without much rhyme or reason.” The index helped. • I found this book entertaining, and I did learn some measurement terms: “mouse unit: a unit of toxicity. A mouse unit is the amount of a substance that causes death in 50 percent of mice--I.e., it is the L.D.50 for mice. So, the size of a mouse unit varies according to the toxin.” • The graphics helped a lot to grasp the concepts in this fact-filled book.

  18. Reference Uses • This would be a useful reference book in schools (middle and high school, especially). It covers such a wide spectrum of information, that it could almost be used in any class. Example: “What’s the difference between the Richter scale and the Mercalli scale?” (Richter measures magnitude; Mercalli measures intensity). • More of a dictionary than an encyclopedia, this would be a good starting point for further research. • Not really a resource for “professionals.”

  19. Complementary Sources • The Science of Measurement: A Historical Survey, by Herbert Klein. • Origins of Measurement, http://www.iofm.net/community/kidscorner/maths/origin.htm (this website is geared towards children).

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