Out with the old — kilogram, that is.
Scientists will soon ditch a specialized hunk of metal that defines the mass of a kilogram. Oddly enough, every measurement of mass made anywhere on Earth is tied back to this one cylindrical object. Known as “Le Grand K,” the cylinder, cast in 1879, is kept carefully sequestered in a secure, controlled environment outside Paris.
On November 16, at a session of the 26th General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles, France, representatives of countries from around the world voted to kick that convoluted system to the curb, enacting a plan to redefine several units of measurement, in addition to the kilogram (SN: 11/12/16, p. 24).