[Boatanchors] SI units and the rest

[mac]

The original definition of a METER  was based on a measured standard  
bar.  The standard was redefined in 1983 as the distance traveled by  
light in a vacuum during a time interval of 1/299,792,458 of a  
second,   The standard kilogram is a a cylindrically shaped platinum- 
iridium slug and is the only SI unit still defined by an artifact  
rather than a fundamental physical property that can be reproduced in  
different laboratories.

Dennis D. W7QHO
Glendale, CA

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On Nov 16, 2010, at 7:20 AM, rbethman wrote:

> We are held hostage to the antiquated "platinum" bar held in France to
> determine "what" a kilogram is, and "derive" the unit called the  
> "gram"
> from this *item*.