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Lea Wong
C Band
January 14, 2019

Redefining the World’s Measurement System

Previously, the kilogram has been defined by a “cylinder of platinum-iridium — about the size of a votive candle ––” called the “Grand K,” which is just about mass of one decimeter cubed worth of water. Unfortunately, this definition failed to accomplish the original goals of those who established the metric system, as they had hoped that the system would be “for all times, for all people,” as over time, the “Grand K” had become lighter. Even though the “Grand K”  lost mass, it is still exactly one kilogram, because the kilogram was defined by the mass of the “Grand K.” This is proving to be problematic, as the kilogram is constantly being used in important scientific experiments, and therefore should not be changing. Another issue with the old definition of the kilogram was that it did not fulfill the original goal of its creators, which was to have all units be based on constant, natural phenomena. One may point to the aforementioned definition of the kilogram as a decimeter cubed of water, but unfortunately, the meter, which has been defined as “one ten-millionth of the distance between the equator and the north pole,” was measured incorrectly, and is therefore not derived from a constant or natural phenomenon.2 Despite these flaws, the kilogram was still successful in facilitating communication throughout the scientific community, as it has been used throughout the world, and is the basis of many other units of measurement (eg: a Newton is defined as the “force necessary to provide a mass of one kilogram with an acceleration of one metre per second per second.”)3 Thus, in redefining the kilogram, scientists had to find a way to make it constant and reliable, while still maintaining the value of the kilogram such that previous measurements using the kilogram would not be deemed inaccurate, or so that the values of other units (such as the Newton) would change.
Now, the kilogram has been defined by taking the “fixed numerical value of the Planck constant h to be 6.626 070 15 × 10-34 when expressed in the unit J s, which is equal to kg m2 s -1 , where the meter and the second are defined in terms of c and ∆νCs.”4 There are many benefits to shifting our reliance from tangible items that can wear away or be destroyed (such as the “Grand K”) to define units, and instead defining units in terms of constants. Most importantly, we will finally have a system of measurement that can truly stand the test of time and be described using “the speed of light and other ‘constants’ of physical science” rather than physical objects, making it a “turning point in humanity.”  In addition, we will be able to more accurately utilize the milligram and microgram to measure lower masses, as Materese writes, “when you use physical objects to measure things, accuracy decreases at sizes much smaller or larger than your standard.” This increased accuracy will make technology more efficient, as devices often rely on measurements to “reliably make calls, send texts, access the internet and use GPS to help us navigate.”1 This will also be beneficial to the overall accuracy and precision of science experiments involving small amounts of substances, and could even be helpful to student-led  experiments if Packer bought newly calibrated scales for us to use. In that case, more accurate measurements of mass would allow for more consistency between our trials, and would also make our experimental design more accurately replicable.

Works Cited
Hosch, W. (2006, June 01.) Newton | unit of measurement. Retrieved January 9, 2019, from
https://www.britannica.com/science/newton-unit-of-measurement.
Materese, R. (2018, December 06). A Turning Point for Humanity: Redefining the World's Measurement System. Retrieved December 13, 2018, from https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/turning-point-humanity-redefining-worlds-measurement-system
Nasser, L. (2014, July 09.) The Meter: The Measure of a Man. Retrieved January 9, 2019, from https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/meter-measure-man.

Resnick, B. (2018, November 16.) New kilogram standard: how the SI unit of mass is being redefined.
Retrieved January 10, 2018, from
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/11/14/18072368/kilogram-kibble-redefine-weight-science


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  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • HOW TO SUBMIT
  • Past Publications
    • 2019 Publication >
      • Scientific Research
      • Mathematical Exploration
      • Scientific Exploration
      • Computer Science
    • 2018 Publication >
      • Artistic Creations
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Exploration
      • Scientific Research
    • 2017 Publication >
      • Artistic Creations
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Exploration
      • Reactions and Responses
      • Scientific Research
    • 2016 Publication >
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations
      • Scientific Research
      • Reactions and Responses
      • Artistic Creations
    • 2015 Publication >
      • Historical and Current Explanations >
        • Bell Curves
        • Birds Vs. Turbines
        • Energy in the Obama Era
        • The Future of Neuroscience
        • Gender Gap in Math
        • GMOs--Yes or No?
        • The History of Minecraft: How a Swedish Indie Game Came to Dominate the World
        • The Effect of Prozac on the Brain
        • Philae Lander's Discovery of Organic Molecules
        • Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Turbines
        • Your Own Worst Enemy: An Overview of Lupus
        • The Methylhex Ban
        • The Effect of Lyme Disease on the Immune system
        • Infectious Mononucleosis
        • Replacing CFCs
        • The Switch
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations >
        • The 43rd Figure
        • The Clock
        • The Collatz Conjecture
        • Constructing a Soccer Ball
        • Determining how Ballparks Affect Batter's Ability to Create Hits
        • The Rotating Conundrum
        • Pythagorean Puzzle
        • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations
        • Kinetics Lab
        • Math in the Restaurant Business
        • Math as a Vessel for Social Change
        • Sustainability of Bottled Vs. Tap Water
        • Thoughts on the Lottery
        • Understanding Player Efficiency Rating
      • Scientific Research >
        • Communicating With Computers
        • The Mystery of Asthma
        • The Nanoscopic War Against Cancer
        • Phytochemistry
        • Solving the energy crisis with Intermediate Band Solar Cells
        • A Pain That Never Ends
        • Rapamycin Resistance
        • Ampacity of a Single Core Horizontal Cable
        • Morphological Properties of Texting Acronym Formation
        • cGAS and STING Expression
      • Reactions and Responses >
        • Can Humans Survive the Climate Crisis?
        • My Experience as a Teacher's Assistant
        • Ted Talk Responses
        • Teens For Food Justice
      • Artistic Creations >
        • Chandelier
        • Deltoidal Hexacontrahedon
        • Dodecahedron Card Trick
        • Eye of the Triangle
        • Free Radric Delantic Davis
        • The Grid
        • What Does A Randomly Composed Song Sound Like?
        • Science Wing Mural
    • 2014 Publication >
      • Cover Photo
      • Artistic Creations >
        • Art Using the Fibonacci Sequence
        • Computer Generated Architecture and Designs
        • Mathematical Landscape
        • Math Art
        • Math in Music
      • Historical and Current Explanations >
        • Algae Bio-Fuel
        • An Energy Alternative
        • Clean Energy In Transportation
        • Calorie Restriction
        • Creating Energy in the Modern World
        • Dietary Intervention Impact on Gut Microbial Gene Richness
        • Earthly Applications for NASA Technology
        • Explaining Relative Motion
        • Exploring Artificial Inteligence
        • Gamma Function
        • How Leaves Work
        • Hydrogen Fuel Cells
        • Music and Brain Development
        • Programming Calculators
        • The Science of Microsatellites
        • Sci-Fi Taser
        • Sloane's Gap
        • Sustainable Energy: Why Some Ideas Shine Brighter than Others
        • Understanding The Galvanic Cell
        • The Virus: Our Unforeseen Philosopher's Stone
        • What Are Fuel Cells and How Do They Work?
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations >
        • Astrocytes Expressing ALS-Linked Mutated SOD1 Release Factors Selectively Toxic to Motor Neurons
        • Big Bang
        • Dictyostelium Discoideum
        • The Future of Solar Cell Technology
        • And Many More...
      • Reactions and Responses >
        • Alternative Energy Sources, New but Unused
        • An Insight Into the Curious World of Ethnobotany
        • Challenging What We Think We Know
        • The Current State of American Education
        • Discovering New Numbers
        • Interview With an Architect
        • Life of Pi Response
        • Mathematical Art Video Commentary
        • Missing from Science Class
        • The Museum of Math
        • The Inside Scoop on a Real Mathematician
    • 2013 Publication