Basic Concepts of Measurement

The nature of measurement is a topic of central concern in the philosophy of science and indeed measurement is the essential link between science and mathematics. Professor Ellis''s book originally published in 1966 is the first general exposition of the philosophical and logical principles involved in measurement since N. R. Campbell''s Principles of Measurement and Calculation (1928) and P. W. Bridgman''s Dimensional Analysis (1931). Professor Ellis writes from an empiricist standpoint. His object is to distinguish and define the basic concepts in measurement for example: scale quantity unit. dimension number and probability. He discusses the problem of classifying scales of measurement and the special logical problems associated with each kind of scale. A translation of mach''s Critique on the Concept of Temperature which gives his views on the nature of measurement more fully than in any of his other works is given as an appendix.