redefining the kilogram

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In the basement vault of The International Bureau of Weights and Measurements in Paris, held in a pressure sealed, climate controlled, laser sensitive bell jar along with 5 other identical sister-prototypes, lies a chunk of metal which seems of no importance whatsoever. This piece of platinum is in fact the Kilogram. A kilogram is currently defined as the mass of the International Prototype of the Kilogram, IPK for short– an actual molded piece of platinum alloy. As such, this piece of metal is the only thing in the world with a mass of exactly one kilogram. If someone were to alter the weight of IPK, the weight of everything else in the world (yes, every single piece of existing matter) would ultimately be changed by definition! Needless to say, IPK is rarely taken out or touched by human hands. However, every few decades, IPK gets weighed (relative to its’ sister prototypes and identical models shipped to countries around the world.) The problem is, that the weights of IPK and its’ replicas are not constant. In the past 90 years, these prototypes have differed in weight by about 50 micrograms (Fox, American Scientist). If the weight of IPK is changing, then by definition, the definition of the kilogram itself is in turn also changing. The reason for this weight loss phenomenon is still unknown; however, one thing is certain– the mass of IPK, and in turn the measure of the kilogram itself, is not stable!

In order to fix this discrepancy, scientists around the world have set out to redefine the definition of the kilogram to be based not upon an object itself, but rather something that’s built into nature– something that will always remain constant. A perfect element to use for this definition is solid silicon-28, an isotope of s...

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...am is not by any means disregarding hundreds of years of science and tradition, but rather the complete opposite! The redefinition would simply improve the current definition, respecting the old tradition, while using it as a foundation on which to base the new advancements. The new definition would be more exact, more easily calculable, and more reliable. Most importantly, it will eliminate the physical object altogether, building the definition into nature itself and ensuring constant stability. However, we can only improve if we aren’t afraid of change. As C. Joybell said “We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better.”

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