14 DAY TRIAL // At this point, scientists recognize the necessity of redefining several basic units of measurements with more precision, and the kilogram is chiefly among them. But the newest proposal on how to do that is bound to spark heated debates in the international scientific community.
One of the most outstanding things about all weight and measure standards is that they are extremely fastidious and accurate. But the idea that one researcher set forth is neither.
Until now, two very different types of experiments have been in use to determine the mass of a kilogram, as well as some of its other characteristics. Since these experiments exist, they have never produced an identical result that could pass as the new definition for this measure.
At a Royal Society conference held in London between January 24-25, the former head of the mass division at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in Sèvres, France, proposed that the two experiments be averaged.
Richard Davis argued at the meeting that creating a mean between the two measurements is the most efficient way of solving the issue of defining the kilogram once and for all. Otherwise, he added, the camps supporting either of the two experiments would never arrive at an agreement.
“In some sense, the redefinition of the kilogram is being held hostage,” Davis told participants at the Royal Society meeting. He did acknowledge however that his proposition goes against the exacting standards of metrology.
At the same time, he emphasized the fact that, without a compromise, the basic unit of measurement for weight may not receive a new definition for years, or even decades, Nature News reports.
“Deciding to just average these two results would be perfectly proper mathematics, but it would not be science,” argues University of Manchester physicist Michael Hart, who does not agree with the idea.
“Ideally, of course, these two [experiments] would come together, but if they don't, this is the way forward,” says former BIPM director and conference organizer Terry Quinn. He reminded colleague scientists that the effort to redefine the kilogram has been dragging on for three decades.
It remains to be seen whether the proposal will get adopted or not, but, regardless of the outcome, it's bound to cause a lot of controversy beforehand.