Quantification and precision: a brief look at some ancient accounts.
We explore the extent to which ancient Greek authors formulated concepts that approximate or encompass our modern notions of precision and accuracy. First, we focus on estimates and measurements of geographic features, astronomical times and positions, and weight. These raise further questions about...
| Publicado en: | Annals of Science Vol. 81; no. 1/2; pp. 10 - 30 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
Jan-Apr2024
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=175233870&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 175233870 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00033790 7J1 jtl: Annals of Science issn: 00033790 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Jan-Apr2024 vid: 81 iid: 1/2 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 175233870 10.1080/00033790.2023.2282778 ppf: 10 ppct: 20 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 1.4MB tig: atl: Quantification and precision: a brief look at some ancient accounts. aug: au: Harris, Arthur Taub, Liba affil: Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK su: Ancient science History of science Natural history Physics instruments Scientific apparatus & instruments sug: subj: Ancient science History of science Natural history Physics instruments Scientific apparatus & instruments keyword: accuracy akribeia ancient science measurement precision Quantification ab: We explore the extent to which ancient Greek authors formulated concepts that approximate or encompass our modern notions of precision and accuracy. First, we focus on estimates and measurements of geographic features, astronomical times and positions, and weight. These raise further questions about whether the quantities reported were measured, estimated, or rounded. While ancient sources discuss the use of instruments, it is not always clear that the aim was to achieve what we would today regard as 'precision'. Next, we briefly consider round numbers, observing that they could carry symbolic meaning, while unrounded numbers could give an impression of hard-won achievement. Finally, we examine uses of the word akribeia. This is often translated as 'precision' or 'exactness', and Greek writers sometimes used akribeia to denote an ideal for their inquiries. A brief look at its uses by a number of Greek writers will on the one hand show the mismatch with our term 'precision', and on the other hand throw some light on the aims of Greek investigators. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Annals of Science is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Annals of Science holder: Taylor & Francis Ltd dt: @attributes: year: 2024 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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