Measure for Measure

Metrology has long been defined by its pursuit of reproducibility, accuracy and traceability. Yet, when it comes to the representation of women and other marginalized communities, precision has not been matched by parity, finds Solmaz Nadiri.

Knowledge gained by combining measurements and simulations leads to increased confidence in the safety of products, as Louise Wright explains.

Unresolved discrepancies between isotope ratio measurements are not uncommon and have even slowed down the revision of the International System of Units, explains Juris Meija.

From monitoring sea-level changes at the millimetre-level to navigating through the streets of Gothenburg, Karine Le Bail discusses the need for precise positioning within well-defined 3D terrestrial and celestial reference frames.

Many young metrologists have fascinating ideas that could shape the future of metrology. Chingis Kuanbayev and Kangyoung Sung tell us how the young professionals imagine what the field will look like beyond 2050.

In addition to photovoltaics, wind turbines are among the most powerful renewable energy sources. Thorsten Schrader and Frank Härtig outline the challenges for metrology.

The SI brochure has described the global measurement system for more than 50 years, and yet it has kept a low profile. Richard Brown leafs through its history.

Even a child intuitively understands the cold of winter or the heat of a hot summer day. However, when it comes to a scientific definition of temperature, things get murky quickly. As Aaron Hui explains, measuring electrical noise is one way to measure temperature directly.

Living organisms and soft materials pose specific challenges to metrology, as Pavao Andričević and Hüsnü Aslan explain.

When it comes to baking recipes, the quantities of ingredients are one of the pillars of success. Karen Mudryk explores the intricacies of measurements in the kitchen.

Twinkle, twinkle little star, tell me just how far you are. Richard I. Anderson discusses standard candles and their applications.

The Fisher information imposes a fundamental limit on the precision with which an unknown parameter can be estimated from noisy data, as Dorian Bouchet explains.

Measurements pervade winemaking, from the size of vineyards to the taste in your mouth. Stefanie Reichert gives us the tour.

It has many names and yet no name. The designation of the universal gas constant as R has remained a mystery, as Karen Mudryk recounts.

The packaging of modern-day light sources is crammed with metrics. Paul Wiecki enlightens us about two: brightness and colour-rendering ability.

UNESCO has now formally adopted World Metrology Day as a UNESCO International Day to be observed on 20 May each year — the theme of 2024 is sustainability. Shanay Rab and Richard Brown take a look at its origin.

Bart Verberck uses the musical cent as a pretext to touch on some of the intricacies of musical tuning systems.

Measuring air temperature is far from a trivial task, as Andrea Merlone, Graziano Coppa and Chiara Musacchio explain.

Adaptive optics allows scientists to correct for distortions of an image caused by the scattering of light. Anita Chandran illuminates the nature of the technique.

Quantum technologies change our notion of measurement. Chenyu Wang elaborates on how quantum squeezing enhances the precision of gravitational-wave interferometers.