On the indeterminacy of the meter.
In the International System of Units (SI), 'meter' is defined in terms of seconds and the speed of light, and 'second' is defined in terms of properties of cesium 133 atoms. I show that one consequence of these definitions is that: if there is a minimal length (e.g., Planck length), then the chances...
| Published in: | Synthese Vol. 196; no. 6; pp. 2487 - 2518 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Springer Nature
Jun2019
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=137075720&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 137075720 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00397857 4LI jtl: Synthese issn: 00397857 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2019 vid: 196 iid: 6 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 137075720 10.1007/s11229-017-1552-3 ppf: 2487 ppct: 31 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 896KB tig: atl: On the indeterminacy of the meter. aug: au: Scharp, Kevin affil: Arche Philosophical Research Centre, Centre for Exoplanet Science, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK su: Metric system Units of measurement Molecular biology Speed of light sug: subj: Metric system Units of measurement Molecular biology Speed of light keyword: Indeterminacy Measure phrases Measurement Metaphysics Meter Planck length ab: In the International System of Units (SI), 'meter' is defined in terms of seconds and the speed of light, and 'second' is defined in terms of properties of cesium 133 atoms. I show that one consequence of these definitions is that: if there is a minimal length (e.g., Planck length), then the chances that 'meter' is completely determinate are only 1 in 21,413,747. Moreover, we have good reason to believe that there is a minimal length. Thus, it is highly probable that 'meter' is indeterminate. If the meter is indeterminate, then any unit in the SI system that is defined in terms of the meter is indeterminate as well. This problem affects most of the familiar derived units in SI. As such, it is highly likely that indeterminacy pervades the SI system. The indeterminacy of the meter is compared and contrasted with emerging literature on indeterminacy in measurement locutions (as in Eran Tal's recent argument that measurement units are vague in certain ways). Moreover, the indeterminacy of the meter has ramifications for the metaphysics of measurement (e.g., problems for widespread assumptions about the nature of conventionality, as in Theodore Sider's Writing the Book of the World) and the semantics of measurement locutions (e.g., undermining the received view that measurement phrases are absolutely precise as in Christopher Kennedy's and Louise McNally's semantics for gradable adjectives). Finally, it is shown how to redefine 'meter' and 'second' to completely avoid the indeterminacy. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Synthese is a copyright of Springer, 2019. All Rights Reserved. item: Synthese holder: Springer Nature dt: @attributes: year: 2019 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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