BBC - Precision: The Measure of All Things [3 Parts] (2013)

Measurement is a story that is as old as mankind. Packed with cutting edge science, amusing anecdotes from history and jaw-dropping examples from the modern world, this is our journey from counting on our knuckles to the exploration of outer space.

With experiments both modern and ancient, the series will explain how we developed the seven international units of measurement: time, length, mass, brightness, current temperature and moles (the measurement of atoms). How have they shaped the course of our history, science and civilisation?

Part 1: Time and Distance
Professor Marcus du Sautoy tells the story of the metre and the second - how an astonishing journey across revolutionary France gave birth to the metre, and how scientists today are continuing to redefine the measurement of time and length, with extraordinary results.




Part 2: Mass and Moles
Deep underground in a vault beneath Paris lives the most important lump of metal in the world - Le Grand K. Created in the 19th century, it's the world's master kilogramme, the weight on which every other weight is based. But there is a problem with Le Grand K - it is losing weight. Marcus explores the history of this strange object and the astonishing modern day race to replace it.




Part 3: Light, Heat and Electricity
From lightning bolts and watt engines to electromagnetic waves and single electrons, Professor Marcus du Sautoy continues his journey into the world of measurement as he reveals how we came to measure and harness the power of heat, light and electricity. It's a journey that has involved the greatest minds in science and, today, is getting down to the very building blocks of atoms.