tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 08 17:38:41 1994

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Re: the qelI'qam, was Re: Nonexistent words ...?





On Tue, 8 Nov 1994, ...Paul wrote:

> To debunk a theory, the meter is NOT based on a portion of the Earth, it is,
> in fact, the distance that some particle travels through a vacuum in such-and-
> such time.  Unfortunately, I don't know what the particle is, or how much
> time they allow it to travel.  BUT.  I do know that the distance is always
> the same, and thus is a very good way to accurately record a unit of distance.
> 
To un-debunk a theory...  The original meter was developed I believe as a 
portion of the earth.  It was only later, then they had the equiptment, 
did they use the measurement of 300 cycle of a Hydrogen atom(or whatever 
it is :-P) so they could have a Universaly unchangable constant.  

1 gram probably started as the weight of a marble, but now it is the 
mass of 1 cubic cm of water at 4 degrees celcuis.  They refine, and 
redefine the measurements, not change them.  Originaly, there was a 
platinum bar that was kept in France I think, that was the standard for 1 
gram for the longest time.

OK... enough about nothing...  :-)


Back to archive top level