Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: SI definitions



See <http://www.bipm.fr/enus/3_SI/kilogram_quirk.html>

On Fri, 30 Nov 2001, Kilmer, Skip wrote:

A student just asked me a question I couldn't answer. (usually I can make up
something convincing). Why is the fundamental unit of mass the kilogram
rather than the gram? In other words, why the prefix on the fundamental
unit. I know it was originally defined as the mass of a liter (or (0.1 m)^3)
of water. Why didn't the French call that a gram. Am I making sense?
skip

John Mallinckrodt mailto:ajm@csupomona.edu
Cal Poly Pomona http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm