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Perfect Silicon Sphere to Redefine the Kilogram

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the weights-and-measures dept.

MrCreosote writes "The Age reports optical specialists at CSIRO are helping create a new standard for the kilogram, based on a precise number of atoms in a perfect sphere of silicon. This will replace the International Prototype, a lump of metal alloy in a vault in Paris."

5 of 453 comments (clear)

  1. Re:"perfect" sphere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    >May God have mercy on your soul if you ever attempt to call a woman a physical object to her face.
    Especially if he compares her to a perfect sphere.

  2. Re:"perfect" sphere by CommunistHamster · · Score: 5, Funny

    It makes the calculations simpler.

  3. perfect, well-rounded, bouncy by siddesu · · Score: 5, Funny

    silicon spheres will define the standard ... will they be coming in pairs by any chance?

  4. SI horsepower by Bromskloss · · Score: 5, Funny

    One horsepower is the power of the reference horse in an archive in Paris.

    --
    Swedish plasma phys. PhD student; MSc EE; knows maths, programming, electronics; finance interest; seeks opportunities
  5. Re:alternate theories by hanshotfirst · · Score: 5, Funny

    Duck Measurer: "I put a duck on one side of the scale, and use weights (lumps of known mass) on the other side to determine the mass of the duck."
    Some Guy: "Umm, but you already know the mass of the weights, why are you bothering?"
    To see if they float, of course.
    --
    Why, oh why, didn't I take the Blue Pill?