Scientists Want to Define the Kilogram by Gravity—Not Electricity. They’re Onto Something.
Metrology, the branch of science dedicated to measurement, has created better and better systems of measurement for the kilogram based on fundamental principles rather than arbitrary chunks of metal locked in a vault.
- In 2018, scientists redefined the kilogram related to the basic electromagnetic principles. But a new study suggests that something similar could be done with gravitational principles as well.
- This could help scientists better test the universality of quantum effects.
The history of measurements is a long one. The Ancient Greeks, for example, used distance measurements based on human anatomy—including the foot.
But also the forearm and palm—while the Romans (along with some tweaking by the British) developed the the mille passum, or “1,000 paces” that the U.S. still largely prefers over more mathematically and rationally appropriate measurement systems.
For weight, some of the earliest systems relied on relating quantities based on the weight of a single grain.
However, even the metric system needs some way to define its base measurements. For more than a century, the kilogram was defined as the mass of a chunk of platinum-iridium alloy housed at the Bureau of Weights and Measures in France.
Considering this is not the most scientific of definitions—and also that this alloy actually lost 50 micrograms since 1889—experts decided to recast the definition into terms more foundational to the workings of the universe.
Now, the kilogram is defined in relation to the Planck constant, the smallest amount of energy a photon can carry. With this constant, scientists can make ultra-precise mass measurements using the Kibble balance, an extremely accurate weighing machine.
See more here popularmechanics.com
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Herb Rose
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Great! Now scientist will be able to measure the imaginary reality they’ve created using a unit of measurement completely divorced from reality. No more need to worry about conflicting evidence.
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lloyd
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No gravity?
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Herb Rosr
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Hi Lolyd,
Gravity exists, but there is no force of gravity. Objects will equalize with the energy being radiated by other objects (dV^2= C ).
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Ken Hughes
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The kilogram weight is not the same as the kilogram mass. A kilogram of material weighs less on the moon than it does on the Earth, but it’s resistance to acceleration stays the same. In fact a kilogram of material weighs differently at different positions on the Earth’s surface due to gravitational variance. Gravity is not the way to define the kilogram. We need a dynamic method of measuring mass.
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Herb Rose
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Hi Ken,
How about momentum? At a constant speed the inertia will differ because of mass.
Herb
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Jerry Krause
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Hi Herb and Ken,
I finally see (understand) what your (primarily Herb’s initially) issue is. As I now remember a kilogram mass has arbitrary been defined as the “mass” of a platinum bar at some place in France and the mass of all other matter is compared with the mass of this bar by using an instrument termed a BALANCE.
We should not forget that the EARTH is the only planet where KNOW (observe) there is this NATURAL PHENOMENA we term LIFE.
Have a good day
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