Hey Chris, I know where you're coming from. I mean, you live in Sydney.
I checked the metre. It was originally in what is now called the old metric system 1/40,000,000 of the Polar Diameter of the earth calculated by using as a base the distance from Dunkirk to Barcelona.
The kilogram is the weight of a platinum/iridium cylinder stored at Sevre in France.
Since 1983 the speed of light in a vacuum has been used as the base of the metre.
While the Platinum/Iridium cylinder is the mass of 1 Kilogram the basis of the metric system is the fact that 1 cubic centimetre of water at room temperature has the mass of 1 gram. All other measurements are extrapolated from there.
Thats the only way I can remeber the fact that a liter of water weighs 2.2 pounds or 1 kilogram, 1 gallon weighs 8 pounds, so 2 pints is a little less than 1 litre, "All the world round, a pint is a pound. Unless of course you're in London where a pint is about 2 pounds sterling"
Yep. The kilogram is officially defined as the mass of that platinum iridium cylinder at the BIPM. The metre is defined in terms of the speed of light, c. Time is in terms of a certain number of oscillations of a Caesium atom. The Kelvin in terms of the triple point of water, the mole in terms of number of atoms in .012kg of Carbon 12, the Amp in terms of force on parallel conductors and the candela in terms of intensity of a given frequency of light.
Much better explanation here: http://www.bipm.fr/en/si/base_units/
You've had enough rain for the grass to grow and then to make hay?
Funny.... I'm here in Massachusetts trying to make hay... and it's been way too soggy! We've had hay down in the field getting rained on for almost a week :-(
That stinks.... Wait!!! you're trying to hijack out hijack! Meanie!
Don't worry Padawan, the Aussies won't let that last post of mine slide.
Indeed gafftaper we won't. Second Fleet and proud of it. Convict descent too not guards. On the other hand I live in SA where we are quite proud of being the only state that had no convicts. Hmm, I detect a small paradox here.
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