the.com/scale
the great equalizer that flatters no one and forgives nothing, only multiplies what it finds
means To grow or increase in size, quantity, or scope — or, as a noun, a graded system for measuring, a balance for weighing, or the protective plates on a fish or reptile.
from Several different words wearing the same coat. The 'climb' sense comes from Latin scala, 'ladder' (from scandere, 'to climb') — to scale a wall is to ladder up it. The 'weighing balance' sense comes from Old Norse skál, 'bowl' or 'drinking cup,' the dish that holds what's being weighed. And the fish-armor sense comes from Old French escale, 'husk' or 'shell,' related to words for splitting and flaking off — a cousin of 'shale' and 'shell.' Three meanings, three roots, one tidy English spelling.
- fish armor
- Fish scales grow rings yearly like trees, revealing age
- deadly weight
- A blue whale's tongue alone weighs as much as an elephant
- justice icon
- Lady Justice's scales date back to Egyptian goddess Maat
- musical bones
- Western scales split the octave into twelve equal steps
- square law
- Double a creature's size, its weight grows eightfold
beaufort scale — wind speed classification system created by sir francis beaufort in 1805, ranging from 0-12
richter scale — earthquake magnitude measurement developed by charles richter in 1935 at caltech
mohs hardness scale — mineral hardness ranking from 1-10 created by friedrich mohs in 1812, with diamond at 10
kelvin scale — absolute temperature scale starting at absolute zero, established by william thomson in 1848