Initially the traditional second of time equal to 1/86400 day was proposed as the base of the metric system, but this was changed in 1791 to base the meter on a decimal division of a measurement of the Earth, instead.
Mind blown. It’s true, you have to start with something.
The quest to fully define the SI units with total precision has been a centuries-long one. It was only a few years ago that the kilogram was finally redefined using universal constants instead of being defined by a physical ball!
Mind blown. It’s true, you have to start with something.
The quest to fully define the SI units with total precision has been a centuries-long one. It was only a few years ago that the kilogram was finally redefined using universal constants instead of being defined by a physical ball!
Yep. The master-kilo that lived in a dusty Parisian cabinet, I love that anecdote.