Rebekah Kim
C Band
1/14/19
Redefining the World's Measurement System
The original goal of the people who established the metric system in 1875, following the French Revolution, was to “create the first common measurement system for international trade and the global exchange of ideas”(Materese, 2018). Seventeen nations agreed upon the standardizing of measurements based on the meter and this Treaty of the Meter evolved over time. It became the SI in 1960, and soon after, scientists “agreed that an unchanging frequency of microwave radiation released and absorbed by a cesium atom would be the basis of all measures of time,” meaning that an atomic clock would define the second. In 1983, the world agreed that a constant speed of light in an empty space or vacuum would be the basis for measurements of length (Materese, 2018). This evolution of the measurement system also included the standardizing of mass, but the Le Grand K, the universal kilogram that all measures of weight depends on, seems to be changing over time. Throughout this evolution, the goal of these scientists was to standardize measurements throughout the world.
On November 16, 2018, scientists from 60 countries came together to transform the International System of Units by basing it off of the “unchanging fundamental properties of nature” (Materese, 2018). These scientists found that although some of the seven SI base units are constant and never changing, some are still based upon objects that can change. As shown before, measurements of time and length are now based upon the fundamental constants of
nature, but other measurements, such as, mass and temperature are still based upon physical artificially set up objects on the Earth that are changing. These scientists decided that they would use exact, fixed values like the Planck constant for the constants to define all seven SI base units, making measurements increasingly precise and accurate. This turning point in history will base measurements on natural constant laws that are far more reliable than physical changing objects. One substantial revision is in the kilogram because the revised SI redefines the kilogram using constant properties of nature making our measurements universal, without a need to calibrate a physical object. Another benefit will be the improved scalability of our measurements because the accuracy of our measurements will not decrease as the object gets smaller, like it did when it was based off of a physical object. This revised SI is set to be implemented on May 20th, 2019, and if it is implemented as expected, all measurements of mass, small or big, will be able to be measured with the same technology with equal accuracy and precision.
The redefinition of the SI will not impact my life directly or indirectly at this moment, but it will impact my future. When this revised SI is implemented, I would be able to make my measurements, in and out of science, more precise and accurate. Measurements in everyday activities like a gram of sugar when baking, or a kilogram of turkey will not change for me. However, when working in the school lab and my science research lab, the ways that I measure chemical quantities will be a million times smaller than the kilogram because the new definition of the kilogram will allow for precise and accurate measurements in the milligram and microgram. Also, this redefinition of measurements will drastically improve new inventions and change technology that I may use in the future.
Bibliography
Abumrad, Jad, and Robert Krulwich. (WNYC). (2014, June 13). ≤ Kg [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved
January 13, 2019, from www.wnycstudios.org/story/kg
Materese, R. (2018, December 06). A Turning Point for Humanity: Redefining the World's
Measurement System. Retrieved January 11, 2019, from
https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/turning-point-humanity-redefining-worlds-measurement-system
C Band
1/14/19
Redefining the World's Measurement System
The original goal of the people who established the metric system in 1875, following the French Revolution, was to “create the first common measurement system for international trade and the global exchange of ideas”(Materese, 2018). Seventeen nations agreed upon the standardizing of measurements based on the meter and this Treaty of the Meter evolved over time. It became the SI in 1960, and soon after, scientists “agreed that an unchanging frequency of microwave radiation released and absorbed by a cesium atom would be the basis of all measures of time,” meaning that an atomic clock would define the second. In 1983, the world agreed that a constant speed of light in an empty space or vacuum would be the basis for measurements of length (Materese, 2018). This evolution of the measurement system also included the standardizing of mass, but the Le Grand K, the universal kilogram that all measures of weight depends on, seems to be changing over time. Throughout this evolution, the goal of these scientists was to standardize measurements throughout the world.
On November 16, 2018, scientists from 60 countries came together to transform the International System of Units by basing it off of the “unchanging fundamental properties of nature” (Materese, 2018). These scientists found that although some of the seven SI base units are constant and never changing, some are still based upon objects that can change. As shown before, measurements of time and length are now based upon the fundamental constants of
nature, but other measurements, such as, mass and temperature are still based upon physical artificially set up objects on the Earth that are changing. These scientists decided that they would use exact, fixed values like the Planck constant for the constants to define all seven SI base units, making measurements increasingly precise and accurate. This turning point in history will base measurements on natural constant laws that are far more reliable than physical changing objects. One substantial revision is in the kilogram because the revised SI redefines the kilogram using constant properties of nature making our measurements universal, without a need to calibrate a physical object. Another benefit will be the improved scalability of our measurements because the accuracy of our measurements will not decrease as the object gets smaller, like it did when it was based off of a physical object. This revised SI is set to be implemented on May 20th, 2019, and if it is implemented as expected, all measurements of mass, small or big, will be able to be measured with the same technology with equal accuracy and precision.
The redefinition of the SI will not impact my life directly or indirectly at this moment, but it will impact my future. When this revised SI is implemented, I would be able to make my measurements, in and out of science, more precise and accurate. Measurements in everyday activities like a gram of sugar when baking, or a kilogram of turkey will not change for me. However, when working in the school lab and my science research lab, the ways that I measure chemical quantities will be a million times smaller than the kilogram because the new definition of the kilogram will allow for precise and accurate measurements in the milligram and microgram. Also, this redefinition of measurements will drastically improve new inventions and change technology that I may use in the future.
Bibliography
Abumrad, Jad, and Robert Krulwich. (WNYC). (2014, June 13). ≤ Kg [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved
January 13, 2019, from www.wnycstudios.org/story/kg
Materese, R. (2018, December 06). A Turning Point for Humanity: Redefining the World's
Measurement System. Retrieved January 11, 2019, from
https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/turning-point-humanity-redefining-worlds-measurement-system
