Contact surface-finish measurement and confocal optical surface-finish measurement are two different methods of measuring the roughness or irregularity of a surface.

Contact surface-finish measurement uses a diamond-tipped probe that moves across the part. There are two basic varieties: skid-type or averaging systems, and skidless or profiling systems. Skidded gauges have a…

When we hear that the metric system is based on seven base units, or seven fundamental constants, it gives the impression that there’s something obviously unique and special that sets these seven quantities apart.

But when we delve deeper, it turns out that there’s nothing special about the number seven. No law of nature tells us how many units (or constants)—or which ones—we…

Who makes the better call: a manager with a wide-ranging career or a narrow one; a doctor who trusts their instincts, or one who sticks to clinical guidelines; a human recruiter, or an algorithm that assesses job candidates?

In this roundup of INSEAD research, we look at how people and machines make high-stakes decisions, including those above. Other insights cover how…