Men of science and standards: Introducing the metric system in nineteenth-century Brazil
Publication Title
Business History Review
ISSN
00076805
E-ISSN
2044768X
Document Type
Article
Abstract
This article addresses the question of how standards were determined and disseminated in an era before the formation of agreed upon standards or the existence of governing bodies, by examining the case of nineteenth-century Brazil. It argues that the experience in Brazil was similar to that of other nations: individuals engaged in mathematical, scientific, engineering, and statistical organizations created networks of professional societies, intertwined with international diplomacy and domestic legislators, to promote the adoption of the metric system. It analyzes the process from idea to advocacy culminating in national implementation on the eve of the 1875 International Convention of the Meter, to which Brazil was signatory.
First Page
17
Last Page
45
Publication Date
1-1-2022
DOI
10.1017/S0007680521000374
Keywords
Brazil, Metric system, Nineteenth century, Scientific exchange, Standardization
Recommended Citation
Hanley, A. (2022). Men of Science and Standards: Introducing the Metric System in Nineteenth-Century Brazil. Business History Review, 96(1), 17-45. doi:10.1017/S0007680521000374
Original Citation
Hanley, A. (2022). Men of Science and Standards: Introducing the Metric System in Nineteenth-Century Brazil. Business History Review, 96(1), 17-45. doi:10.1017/S0007680521000374
Department
Department of History
