metrology

How to define a kilogram

By Margaret Harris

Pick the correct definition of a kilogram:

a) the mass of a body with a de Broglie wavelength of 6.626069311 × 10^-34 m at a velocity of 1 m/s

b) a mass of a body at rest such that Planck’s constant h is 6.626069311 × 10^-34 Js

c) a mass of exactly 5.0184512725 × 10^25 unbound carbon-12 atoms at rest in their ground state

d) the mass of a lump of platinum-iridium sitting under three vacuum jars in a French laboratory

	NIST Metrology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will celebrate World Metrology Day on May 20 by holding a symposium in Gaithersburg, Md. The symposium on “Measurements in Commerce: Metrology Underpinning Economic Development” will emphasize how measurement science and standards play an everyday role in our global economy.