| 1..The inch is
| a. standards of communication
|
| 2.. Money is
| b. quality standards
|
| 3..Words are
| c. a standard of exchange
|
| 4..Traffic lights are
| d. a performance standard
|
| 5..Octane numbers of gasoline are
| e. a standard of measurement
|
| 6. "No more than 1% shrinkage" is
| f. safety standards
|
3 Study the information on the history of standards. What do these numbers refer to?
Standards are known to have existed as early as 7000 B.C. when cylindrical stones were used as units of weight in Egypt. One of the first known attempts at standardization in the Western world occurred in 1120. King Henry I of England ordered that the ell, the ancient yard, should be the exact length of his forearm, and that it should be used as the standard unit of length in his kingdom.
History also notes that, in 1689, the Boston city fathers recognized the need for standardization when they passed a law making it a civic crime to manufacture bricks in any size other than 9x4x4. The city had just been destroyed by fire, and the city fathers decided that standards would assure rebuilding in the most economic and fastest way possible.
Probably the most significant standard ever developed in the United States, however, was the railroads' standard track gage. This standard, now used in Great Britain, the U.S., Canada and much of continental Europe, enables railroad rolling stock to cross the country.
