Eli Baum
E Band
1-13-2018
A New Way of Measuring
After the French revolution, a cylinder of metal was created, and it was determined that the kilogram would be equal to its weight. However, on November 16, 2018, the international scientific community changed the definition of a kilogram from a lump of metal to a definition built upon the constants of physical science.
By redefining the kilogram in this way, scientists have completed the last step to make the International System of Units entirely based upon the laws of the universe. This is a major turning point because from now on, measurements will no longer be built on unreliable standards like specific objects. The new system of measurement will be applicable at any time, usable by anyone, built upon the laws of the universe, and it will be universal. The redefinition of the kilogram, in short, marks the end of a time that has lasted since the cavemen, in which we measured physical objects in terms of other physical objects, and the beginning of a time in which we can measure everything in terms of natural phenomena.
This is the culmination of the work of scientists dating back to the enlightenment. During this time, it was hypothesised that the natural laws of our universe are more constant and reliable for making measurements than any physical objects. Since then, scientists have slowly worked towards redefining each base unit in terms of natural phenomena instead of physical objects. Now, they have finally reached this goal.
While there is no direct impact of the shift from measuring in terms of physical objects to natural phenomena, it is likely going to have an indirect impact upon us in the form of progress. Redefining the International System of Units so that it is fully in terms of natural phenomena paves the road for progress in two main ways. The first is that it gives more people the ability to make precise measurements. Since you no longer need to calibrate for a specific artifact, from now on, anyone, anywhere, can take measurements, without even going near the artifact (or a replica of it). Thus, there are more people who can easily do experiments and take measurements, thereby allowing more people to move the scientific field ahead.
The second way in which redefining the International System of Units allows for progress is that it allows for increased scalability. Currently, as the magnitude of a measurement gets farther away from a given standard, which in this case is a kilogram, accuracy decreases. But by redefining the kilogram in terms of values like Planck's constant, the meter, and the second, there is no longer a standard, so the measurement accuracy will be the same no matter how close it is to 1 kilogram. This will improve the accuracy of measurements done by pharmaceutical companies, for example, as the fact that they are measuring incredibly small values will become much less impactful in terms of the accuracy of their experiments.
When the kilogram was originally created in 1799, it was meant to act as a standard built upon the authority of nature. France wanted to create a unit of measurement that the whole world could use, and they wanted something that would be unchanging and eternal. Now, a little more than 200 years later, scientists have finally done this, redefining the kilogram to turned it into something universal, truly built upon the authority of nature.
Work Cited:
Materese, R. (2018, December 06). A Turning Point for Humanity: Redefining the World's Measurement System. Retrieved January 13, 2019, from https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/turning-point-humanity-redefining-worlds-measurement-system
≤ kg | Radiolab. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2018, from https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/kg
E Band
1-13-2018
A New Way of Measuring
After the French revolution, a cylinder of metal was created, and it was determined that the kilogram would be equal to its weight. However, on November 16, 2018, the international scientific community changed the definition of a kilogram from a lump of metal to a definition built upon the constants of physical science.
By redefining the kilogram in this way, scientists have completed the last step to make the International System of Units entirely based upon the laws of the universe. This is a major turning point because from now on, measurements will no longer be built on unreliable standards like specific objects. The new system of measurement will be applicable at any time, usable by anyone, built upon the laws of the universe, and it will be universal. The redefinition of the kilogram, in short, marks the end of a time that has lasted since the cavemen, in which we measured physical objects in terms of other physical objects, and the beginning of a time in which we can measure everything in terms of natural phenomena.
This is the culmination of the work of scientists dating back to the enlightenment. During this time, it was hypothesised that the natural laws of our universe are more constant and reliable for making measurements than any physical objects. Since then, scientists have slowly worked towards redefining each base unit in terms of natural phenomena instead of physical objects. Now, they have finally reached this goal.
While there is no direct impact of the shift from measuring in terms of physical objects to natural phenomena, it is likely going to have an indirect impact upon us in the form of progress. Redefining the International System of Units so that it is fully in terms of natural phenomena paves the road for progress in two main ways. The first is that it gives more people the ability to make precise measurements. Since you no longer need to calibrate for a specific artifact, from now on, anyone, anywhere, can take measurements, without even going near the artifact (or a replica of it). Thus, there are more people who can easily do experiments and take measurements, thereby allowing more people to move the scientific field ahead.
The second way in which redefining the International System of Units allows for progress is that it allows for increased scalability. Currently, as the magnitude of a measurement gets farther away from a given standard, which in this case is a kilogram, accuracy decreases. But by redefining the kilogram in terms of values like Planck's constant, the meter, and the second, there is no longer a standard, so the measurement accuracy will be the same no matter how close it is to 1 kilogram. This will improve the accuracy of measurements done by pharmaceutical companies, for example, as the fact that they are measuring incredibly small values will become much less impactful in terms of the accuracy of their experiments.
When the kilogram was originally created in 1799, it was meant to act as a standard built upon the authority of nature. France wanted to create a unit of measurement that the whole world could use, and they wanted something that would be unchanging and eternal. Now, a little more than 200 years later, scientists have finally done this, redefining the kilogram to turned it into something universal, truly built upon the authority of nature.
Work Cited:
Materese, R. (2018, December 06). A Turning Point for Humanity: Redefining the World's Measurement System. Retrieved January 13, 2019, from https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/turning-point-humanity-redefining-worlds-measurement-system
≤ kg | Radiolab. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2018, from https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/kg
