• aubertlone@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    9 months ago

    They linked the kilogram to the gravitational force.

    It’s part of an effort to clarify how we define things. We’re now trying to link our recorded units to the basic forces they are related to. So now, the kilogram is defined by the gravitational force, the meter by how fast light travels, etc etc

    • PflaumeKordel@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      9 months ago

      The kilogram is defined as the mass equivalent of a photon of a specific energy via the Planck constant h thus linking the speed of light and the frequency of the hyperfine level of caesium-133. The relative uncertainty of the measured value of the gravitational constant G is 10^-5 which would lead to a definition of the kilogram that has a worse relative uncertainty than using the former definition defined via an international prototype. The Wikipedka article is more detailed than this short summary.

      • aubertlone@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        9 months ago

        TiL

        I knew about redifining the kilogram as it’s related to gravity beforehand

        But not the next part about kg and photons and planck etc etc. I learned all that just now by reading a response to my comment

        I genuinely did not know about the relationship to light until just now.

        So, yes. But again, your comment alone didn’t help me understand about the relationship beforehand. I wasn’t sure what you meant at all, so just responded with my understanding of it