One of the biggest goals of science and technology is to
deliver the most accurate description of reality as promising, so it is always
cool telling people how the unit of mass is defined. The kilogram, for
instance, is described as the mass of a platinum-iridium cylinder in Sèvres,
France.
Yes, each mass and scale in the world has to be matched with
the French block, which is properly called the International prototype kilogram
(IPK). When the kilogram was defined in 1889, 40 authorized physical copies
were completed and sent around the world. The particular measurement of the
kilogram was taken to be equivalent to one thousand cubic cm of water.
impossible. The actual mass of the International prototype kilogram (IPK) and
the associated copies have not remained the same. Measurements taken in 1948
and 1989 have shown that the masses are all diverging, with some losing mass
and some gaining it, for a variety of causes including simply getting difficult.
This matter has been troubling people working in metrology
for quite some time. If things must be measured accurately, the description of
the kilogram needs to be more accurate.
scientifically is a bit of an anomaly. While we can live with a few microgram
changes over a few years, what we are looking for is something that is going to
fundamentally be constant forever."
The meter is described as the distance light travels in
1/299,792,458 seconds, and the second is defined as 9,192,631,770 oscillations
of a definite frequency of radiation from the cesium atom. With the accurate
apparatus, everyone in the world could measure distances and times according to
the international system (IS).
researchers are confident to re-define the kilogram in terms of Planck’sconstant, an important constant that connects the frequency of a particle to
its energy, discovered in many physical formulas.
Replica of the fundamental kilogram at Cité des Sciences et
de l'Industrie.
Jasp 88 via Wikimedia Common CC BY-SA 3.0
Mass, at the moment, is earthbound. Scientists have been
searching for methods to free the mass definition from a physical object, with
the Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) deciding in 2011, that a new
definition was required.
significance of stability is in fact seen when we try to make very accurate
measurements of either small or large quantities. For instance, the
pharmaceutical companies measure very small quantities of active drugs and
since the differences in the fundamental kilogram are around the size of the
quantities measured, this could produce difficulties and problems.
In a similar method, large masses are affected. If your aim
is to accurately measure the mass of a jet, a 0.01% uncertainty could have a huge
effect on both cost and fuel efficiency.
of the re-definition. If you solve the mass to a fundamental constant, you can explain
any mass you like (you will not have to start with a kilogram and partition).
The re-definition would develop the complete mass scale.
method, though, we have got bad update for you. To accept the original
measurements, the CIPM demanded that three independent measurements be obtained
with at least two independent ways. And this is where stuffs get a bit complex.
been defined relative to the kilogram; however the electrical community has
found methods to define the ampere in terms of certain quantum effects
connected to the Planck’s constant.
What researchers believed of doing was to turn the
definition of the ampere on its head and to describe the kilogram through
electric units in terms of the Planck’s constant.
watt balance, was designed by Dr Bryan Kibble in 1975. Dr Bryan Kibble died
this year, and the instrument has been given another name the Kibble balance in
his honor. The Kibble balance is basically a very complex scale.
measurement of the Planck constant. Once that is gained, the Kibble balance
could be used to measure the mass of every object.
Simplified by Dr Stuart Davidson, "Theoretically, everyone
can design their own Kibble balance, do the experiment, and then generate a
‘kilogram’ without having to wait."
Section of the Kibble balance. National Physical Laboratory.
Another way to measure the kilogram is through Avogadro’sconstant, which signifies the number of atoms in a certain mass of a certain
substance. That is obtained by making a perfect kilogram sphere made of a
specific type of silicon and measuring its diameter 500,000 times in faintly
different positions. Knowing the volume and the properties of silicon,
scientists can simply evaluate the number of atoms.
The Avogadro system has two benefits: It requires one to only count the number
of atoms and it's defined in terms of the Planck’s constant.
artifact, it is not dependent on a particular one. It is how the artifact
designed that matters and not about the object itself. Still, the silicon
solution has its disadvantages.
The artifact is sphere-shaped and so it is not easy to
handle. In addition, it has a huge volume, so you have to weigh it in a vacuum
to conclude its mass (the mass of the air would affect). It also has a big
surface area, so it will get 10 times as difficult as the fundamental kilogram,
making the artifact incorrect very quickly.
the kelvin, the ampere, and the mole (whose definitions are also up for review).They
will be re-defined at the 26th General
Conference on Weights and Measures in 2018.
This silicon sphere weighs an exact kilogram. Julian
Stratenschulte/dpa
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