|
Size refers to the concept of things, usually physical objects, having measurements that are relatively greater or lesser than other things along certain dimensions in physical space, such as length, width, height, diameter, perimeter, area, volume, or mass. In mathematical terms, "()ize is a concept abstracted from the process of measuring by comparing a longer to a shorter".〔C. Smoryński, ''History of Mathematics: A Supplement'' (2008), p. 76.〕 Size is determined by the process of comparing or measuring objects, which results in the determination of the magnitude of a quantity, such as length or mass, relative to a unit of measurement. Such a magnitude is usually expressed as a numerical value of units on a previously established scale, such as meters or inches. The sizes with which humans tend to be most familiar are body dimensions (measures of anthropometry), which include measures such as human height, the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body standing erect, and human body weight. These measures can, in the aggregate, allow the generation of commercially useful distributions of products that accommodate expected body sizes,〔Thomas T. Samaras, ''Human Body Size and the Laws of Scaling'' (2007), p. 3.〕 as with the creation of clothing sizes and shoe sizes, and with the standardization of door frame dimensions, ceiling heights, and bed sizes. The human experience of size can lead to a psychological tendency towards size chauvinism,〔Clifford N. Matthews, Roy Abraham Varghese, ''Cosmic Beginnings and Human Ends: Where Science and Religion Meet'' (2995), p. 208: "The notion that bacteria are primitive, unsophisticated organisms stems from what I would call size chauvinism".〕 wherein the relative importance or perceived complexity of organisms and other objects is judged based on their size relative to humans, and particularly whether this size makes them easy to observe without aid. ==Perception of size== Humans most frequently perceive the size of objects through visual cues.〔Bennett L. Schwartz, John H. Krantz, ''Sensation and Perception'' (2015), Chapter 7: "Depth and Size Perception", p. 169-199.〕 One common means of perceiving size is to compare the size of a newly observed object with the size of a familiar object whose size is already known. Binocular vision gives humans the capacity for depth perception, which can be used to judge which of several objects is closer, and by how much, which allows for some estimation of the size of the more distant object relative to the closer object. The perception of size can be distorted by manipulating these cues, for example through the creation of forced perspective. Some measures of size may also be determined by sound. Visually impaired humans use echolocation to determine features of their surroundings, such as the size of spaces and objects. However, even humans who lack this ability can tell if a space that they are unable to see is large or small from hearing sounds echo in the space. Size can also be determined by touch, which is a process of haptic perception. The sizes of objects that can not readily be measured merely by sensory input may be evaluated with other kinds of measuring instruments. For example, objects too small to be seen with the naked eye may be measured when viewed through a microscope, while objects too large to fit within the field of vision may be measured using a telescope, or through extrapolation from known reference points. However, even very advanced measuring devices may still present a limited field of view. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「size」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|