From today, a kilo is no longer a kilo

Last November, the experts gathered at the General Conference of Weights and Measures in Paris defined a change that will have a resounding impact on scientific research. As of Monday, the kilogram – as well as the ampere, the kelvin and the mol- It will be measured in a different way, after 130 years of trust in the "big K".

Although this redefinition will not affect everyday life, it will be a before and after for scientists working with high-tech equipment more accurate and faster calculate how much is a kilo.

Héctor Laiz, Metrology, Quality and Environment Manager of INTI, explained to TN.com.ar that the measure remains the same and only changes the way it is measured. "Today, the change of four measures of the seven basic units will come into effect, in the case of the kilogram it will now be defined by a numerical value badigned to the Planck constant"he explained.

During all these years, the kilo was measured on the basis of an object called big "K": a cylinder of 4 centimeters of platinum iridium made in London and housed at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. With this system, experts had to send samples from time to time to "calibrate" their measurements. But now it will not be necessary.

"Now it will be defined anywhere in the world and at any time. This change gives more flexibility. Previously, we depended on the artifact present in France ", explains Laiz to this media.

But the convenience of measurement is not the only argument in favor of this advance, but also its accuracy. With this numerical calculation, experts have argued that this would reduce process errors. "It does not change the value of the kilo, but now they will develop methods to measure more precisely", said the INTI manager.

Although at the commercial scale, this change has no impact, you will notice a difference between high-tech devices that will have to adapt their products to these new measures.