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Experts Suggest Replacing Definition of Kilogram
fenimor writes "The kilogram is the only one of the seven basic units of the international measurement system defined by a physical artifact rather than a natural phenomenon. International team of scientists suggest replacing the kilogram artifact -- a cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy about the size of a plum --with a definition based on one of two unchanging natural phenomena, either a quantity of light or the mass of a fixed number of atoms. They propose to adopt either one of two definitions for the kilogram by selecting a specific value for either the Planck constant or the Avogadro number."
base it on J-lo's butt.
OMG?!
the Bush administration has declared that everyone must use the Imperial system. You're with us or against us.
..wondering how it is that they're planning to base the metric mass system by giving kilograms a defined value? At risk of sounding stupid..shouldn't they be defining the gram? If the gram has already been defined, than this is just a waste of time; defining the kilogram would just be taking the gram and multiplying by one thousand. Or is this just typical /. editor stupidity?
There is no mass component in pressure. It is force over area - no mass involved.
Software piracy is victimless theft.
Presumably this method would take into account somehow the actual gravitational force, since it varies pretty significantly depending on where you are?
First the kilogram then who knows where next. You can dick around with the gram if you like but leave that most hallowed of engineering terms alone.
Too lazy to create a sig...
They are getting too big a salary for the nonsense they are arguing about. How about developing non-polluting energy-sources instead? How about flying cars?
love slashdot. populate it. use it. abuse it. hate it. kill it. miss it. stop following links, they only kill servers.
I realised that celcius fit nicely with pure water at sea level freezing and boiling
Pure (distilled) water doesn't boil