It's like taking a physics class in high school for many of us: Trying to understand the concept of mass and weight – and electromagnetism – as we try to grasp the way a kilogram is defined.
Yes, the kilogram is in question. Since 1889, the standard for 1 kilogram of weight has been the Le Grand K bar in a Paris vault. Currently, the kilogram is defined by the weight of the platinum-based ingot. It has been the basis of the international system of measuring weights. Several replicas were made and distributed around the globe.
Scientists have decided to change the way the kilogram is defined.
On Friday, researchers meeting in Versailles voted to get rid of the bar as standard in favor of defining a kilogram in terms of an electric current, reports the BBC.
The decision was made at the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
But some scientists, such as Perdi Williams at the National Physical Laboratory in the UK, have expressed mixed feelings about the change.
65I haven66m a little bit sad about 9. But it is an important step forward and so the new system is going to work a lot better. It is also a really exciting time
Previous Story
USA
Brazil
Russia
Turkey
