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Millie Howard
AChem Lurain
E Band
January 14, 2019

Redefining the World's Measurement System

When the SI (the metric system) was established and named the international metric for measurement, it was based off of the French concept that humans should use unchanging properties of nature to make measurements. The mantra of this French system was “for all times, for all people.” It was designed with the goal of being a consistent, reliable way to make measurements that could be done essentially anywhere. This ended up being a large part of why it was appealing to so many people. It was a universal system that used numbers derived from unchanging principles. The concept of it being derived in nature greatly increases the practicality of the system because it becomes constant, and therefore more reliable, as well as universal, and consequently better for globalization and communication.
Though this was the goal of the system, until the recent vote a number of the SI base units were still based off of specific items. Because of this, the platinum-iridium metal piece that determines the magnitude of the Kilogram has to be periodically calibrated to what is called Le Grand K. In addition, with time and exposure, the mass of Le Grand K is slowly decreasing as it is worn down. Because the amount that it is changing is so small, one might think it is insignificant. However, when measuring in particularly large or particularly small quantities, even the most minute difference can change results. The recent vote switched the remaining object-based units to be derived from unchanging (to our knowledge) figments of nature, such as the speed of light. This means that measurements can be done by truly anybody and measurement tools will no longer need to be calibrated to an object.
    The reason that this seemingly minor change is so incredibly impactful is that it separates the measurement from any object and immortalizes it. This means that the value of the Kilogram is constant and that it is independent of any place or time. The institution of natural and unchanging definitions for all seven base units of the SI means that the system is in no way reliant on any objects. Not only can scientists finally retire the calibration process, we also no longer have to use relatively arbitrary values to calculate more complex equations and concepts. This allows more accurate and precise measurements. It also provides a much clearer way of communicating measurements because they are now conceptually derived! So, all one needs to measure the mass of an item is (a tool that has) sufficient information about how to calculate a Kilogram; a scale that’s been matched to a hunk of metal across the ocean is no longer in the picture.
One thing that we don’t think about often but is incredibly integral to the way we experience our lives is the precision of technology. From subway trains to microwaves to cameras, the highly capable technology we utilize on a daily basis uses incredibly precise hardware, much of which is done in SI units. So, this drastic change will impact the development of technology and improve the consistency in its production. It will provide a way to much more precisely measure things and in turn give the scientific community a better platform on which we can base our research.

Works Cited

Marantz, A. (2014, June 13). ≤ kg [Audio blog post]. Retrieved January 13, 2019, from https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/kg
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


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  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • HOW TO SUBMIT
  • Past Publications
    • 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
  • 2019 Publication
    • Scientific Research
    • Mathematical Exploration
    • Scientific Exploration
    • Computer Science