Ran across this story (http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/12/shrinking.kilogram.ap/index.html) the other day. Thought you guys might be interested.
Also, some funny and informative comments can be found here on Slashdot (http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/13/2234236) (my favorite source for news).
Something that I've never really thought about before is the fact that, even though we've (U.S.) avoided the metric system like the plague, the english pound is based upon the metric kilogram. Hmmmmm kind of ironic...
Quote from: Hoopty on 09-17-2007 -- 07:40:49
Ran across this story (http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/12/shrinking.kilogram.ap/index.html) the other day. Thought you guys might be interested.
Also, some funny and informative comments can be found here on Slashdot (http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/13/2234236) (my favorite source for news).
Something that I've never really thought about before is the fact that, even though we've (U.S.) avoided the metric system like the plague, the english pound is based upon the metric kilogram. Hmmmmm kind of ironic...
If it is the standard then how do you know it has lost mass. You can't!!!!!!!!!! Hahahaha this story must be a joke.
Quote from: flew-da-coup on 09-17-2007 -- 11:56:45If it is the standard then how do you know it has lost mass. You can't!!!!!!!!!!
Well, they did mention that in the story:
"It's not clear whether the original has become lighter, or the national prototypes have become heavier," said Michael Borys, a senior researcher with Germany's national measures institute in Braunschweig. "But by definition, only the original represents exactly a kilogram."
So, technically the headline should be national prototypes mysteriously gaining instead of the official prototype losing...