Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

The Kilogram: Last remaining artifact

Published

Author(s)

Zeina J. Kubarych

Abstract

The unit of mass, the kilogram, is the last remaining basic unit defined by an artifact. Worldwide efforts are underway to replace the artifact-based definition with invariant alternatives. This paper describes briefly the history of the kilogram, the status of the present definition, the problems associated with the artifact, and summarizes the different different approaches taken towards the re-definition of the kilogram.
Proceedings Title
Proceedings of the National Conference of Standards Laboratories
Conference Dates
July 11-15, 1999
Conference Location
Charlotte, NC
Conference Title
Charlotte (NC)

Keywords

international prototype kilogram, kilogram, mass, mass metrology, measurement standards, standards, unit of mass

Citation

Kubarych, Z. (1999), The Kilogram: Last remaining artifact, Proceedings of the National Conference of Standards Laboratories, Charlotte, NC (Accessed March 28, 2024)
Created April 1, 1999, Updated February 19, 2017