Bill provides a brief background on the history of measurement and explains why humans developed standard units of measurement. He explains how the meter was developed and talks about the simplicity of the metric system.

Beakman explains the history behind the creation of measurements. He mentions that King Edward II declared that all measurements would be universal and that he created the inch by putting three barley seeds end to end. Through this process, he created standarized measurement. Beakman explains how to get an approximate measurement of something large by using its shadow and the shadow of the measuring stick.

Bill introduces the ancestor of the modern clock: the sundial. He illustrates how it uses shadows to indicate the time of day and explains how it influenced the clock. A time lapse then shows how the sundial and clock are in sync as the hours go by during the day.

Sheldon finds out that the new chemical elements he helped discover were found because of a mathematical error; he was off by a factor of 10,000. He feels that he is a fraud as a result.

A trip to the local clock shop reminds everyone in Huckle's class how important clocks are for our everyday lives.