Charlotte Agliata
C band
1/14/18
Redefining the World’s Measurement System
One of the goals of the people who established the metric system in 1875 was to unite countries of varying languages across the globe with one common system of measurement. Universal standards of measurement make communication and the exchange of knowledge and goods possible. When imagining a world before an agreement such as the metric system, it’s difficult to picture scientific and mathematical advancement. For scientists, it’s vital that they build off of each others’ ideas and theories. No one scientist is responsible for the knowledge of the atom, every time it’s studied knowledge is exchanged and built upon to develop more advanced theories. Establishing the metric system must have aided scientists immensely in the ability to pass on their ideas and observations. After 1875, a scientist in one part of the world would have been able to share their research with another scientist in another country in a way comprensible to both--despite the languages they spoke. Due to this agreed upon system, that remains true. If I were to assemble a box and make a labeled diagram of it equipt with the dimensions--and most importantly units, anyone in any part of the world could use my diagram and assemble a box of the same size. Units are vital, and so it is equally important that they can hold up “for all times, for all people.” In the 1700s in France the goal of the people who created the kilogram unit was to make the system natural and timeless, and something other countries could follow. This goal is both reflected and amended by the recent vote to redefine the global measuring system. The metric system established in 1875 has since been successful in aiding global exchange, and at the time it also helped the scientific community make great advancements. Throughout history everything has only gotten more precise, and so it only makes sense that we continue to progress. For that reason this vote surely can be considered a “turning point for humanity.” Now that units are going to be based on naturally occurring things, similar to the original goal for the metric system in 1875, it is fair to say that units truly will be “for all times.” Something as unreliable as the “Grand K” may have helped make historical advancements, but it is now overdue that we stop relying on an ever-changing block of metal to define the weight of the kilogram. The redefinition of SI units is going to help make future advancements because humans as a whole only become more knowledgeable as time progresses. (Interesting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGiQaabX3_o). This vote is the next great step towards improving humanity’s knowledge; almost everything is based on units, and while it may seem small, they greatly impact our lives. The computer I am typing this on relies on precision in measurement, as does the desk it rests on, and the building it stands in. By redefining our metric system and making it more precise, those 60 countries have indeed made history, as they have initiated the next advancement for humanity. Units--the basis of all that we do--will now be more precise and more reliable, and create a future with innovations that we can only fantasize of.
This decision will impact everyone, including myself. For many people, the redefinition will go unnoticed. However technology that everyone uses will improve, as will architecture. Therefore everyone’s quality of life will be indirectly affected. Some people, on the other hand, will be directly affected. I believe I will be one of those people. I plan on studying and working in science, everything that I do will deal with units. And while it may seem unimportant, for those who wish to make scientific advancements, it’s crucial to take everything into account. This includes historical progress. Even though scientists study things in the present to benefit the future, they never forget past theories. It’s important to remember where ideas, and units, come from so that past knowledge can be built upon--not reiterated. I came up with an analogy to think about this redefinition: before we were building everything out of sticks, we built our houses out of sticks, and they were fine, definitely better than the previous straw ones, but they were not as strong as they could be. Now that we are using bricks, our homes will be stronger, and who knows where we’ll go from there.
Bibliography
The Meter: The Measure of a Man | Radiolab. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/meter-measure-man.
Materese, R. (2018, December 06). A Turning Point for Humanity: Redefining the World's
Measurement System. Retrieved from https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/turning-point-humanity-redefining-worlds-measurement-system.
C band
1/14/18
Redefining the World’s Measurement System
One of the goals of the people who established the metric system in 1875 was to unite countries of varying languages across the globe with one common system of measurement. Universal standards of measurement make communication and the exchange of knowledge and goods possible. When imagining a world before an agreement such as the metric system, it’s difficult to picture scientific and mathematical advancement. For scientists, it’s vital that they build off of each others’ ideas and theories. No one scientist is responsible for the knowledge of the atom, every time it’s studied knowledge is exchanged and built upon to develop more advanced theories. Establishing the metric system must have aided scientists immensely in the ability to pass on their ideas and observations. After 1875, a scientist in one part of the world would have been able to share their research with another scientist in another country in a way comprensible to both--despite the languages they spoke. Due to this agreed upon system, that remains true. If I were to assemble a box and make a labeled diagram of it equipt with the dimensions--and most importantly units, anyone in any part of the world could use my diagram and assemble a box of the same size. Units are vital, and so it is equally important that they can hold up “for all times, for all people.” In the 1700s in France the goal of the people who created the kilogram unit was to make the system natural and timeless, and something other countries could follow. This goal is both reflected and amended by the recent vote to redefine the global measuring system. The metric system established in 1875 has since been successful in aiding global exchange, and at the time it also helped the scientific community make great advancements. Throughout history everything has only gotten more precise, and so it only makes sense that we continue to progress. For that reason this vote surely can be considered a “turning point for humanity.” Now that units are going to be based on naturally occurring things, similar to the original goal for the metric system in 1875, it is fair to say that units truly will be “for all times.” Something as unreliable as the “Grand K” may have helped make historical advancements, but it is now overdue that we stop relying on an ever-changing block of metal to define the weight of the kilogram. The redefinition of SI units is going to help make future advancements because humans as a whole only become more knowledgeable as time progresses. (Interesting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGiQaabX3_o). This vote is the next great step towards improving humanity’s knowledge; almost everything is based on units, and while it may seem small, they greatly impact our lives. The computer I am typing this on relies on precision in measurement, as does the desk it rests on, and the building it stands in. By redefining our metric system and making it more precise, those 60 countries have indeed made history, as they have initiated the next advancement for humanity. Units--the basis of all that we do--will now be more precise and more reliable, and create a future with innovations that we can only fantasize of.
This decision will impact everyone, including myself. For many people, the redefinition will go unnoticed. However technology that everyone uses will improve, as will architecture. Therefore everyone’s quality of life will be indirectly affected. Some people, on the other hand, will be directly affected. I believe I will be one of those people. I plan on studying and working in science, everything that I do will deal with units. And while it may seem unimportant, for those who wish to make scientific advancements, it’s crucial to take everything into account. This includes historical progress. Even though scientists study things in the present to benefit the future, they never forget past theories. It’s important to remember where ideas, and units, come from so that past knowledge can be built upon--not reiterated. I came up with an analogy to think about this redefinition: before we were building everything out of sticks, we built our houses out of sticks, and they were fine, definitely better than the previous straw ones, but they were not as strong as they could be. Now that we are using bricks, our homes will be stronger, and who knows where we’ll go from there.
Bibliography
The Meter: The Measure of a Man | Radiolab. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/meter-measure-man.
Materese, R. (2018, December 06). A Turning Point for Humanity: Redefining the World's
Measurement System. Retrieved from https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/turning-point-humanity-redefining-worlds-measurement-system.
