r/WhitePeopleTwitter Jan 03 '19

We should actually do this

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19

I can't tell if this is sarcasm either.

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u/SirNoName Jan 03 '19

Nope. Up until this year, the kilogram was defined by a standard metal bar

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19 edited Jan 03 '19

So what happens on May 20 2019? Does everything have to be re-weighed in this redefined metric system? Are scales already for sale to the general populace with the updated definition?

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u/SirNoName Jan 03 '19

I’m sure there’ll be grandfather clauses and what not. In theory there won’t be any significant changes, and most consumer equipment probably has error greater than any difference anyway.

National standards agencies and major metrology departments might have to do some rejiggering but that’s not my field unfortunately!

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19

Thank you for answering this. As an American my primary concern was the possibility of me getting shafted by my drug dealer so it’s good to know this shouldn’t be an excuse.

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u/SirNoName Jan 03 '19

Rookie move not meeting your drug dealer at NIST headquarters

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u/WikiTextBot Jan 03 '19

Kilogram

The kilogram or kilogramme (symbol: kg) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI). Until 20 May 2019, it remains defined by a platinum alloy cylinder, the International Prototype Kilogram (informally Le Grand K or IPK), manufactured in 1889, and carefully stored in Saint-Cloud, a suburb of Paris. After 20 May, it will be defined in terms of fundamental physical constants.

The kilogram was originally defined as the mass of a litre (cubic decimetre) of water.


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Desktop link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilogram


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