Measuring Planck's constant, NIST's watt balance brings world closer to new kilogram
Tuesday, June 21, 2016 - 12:01
in Physics & Chemistry
A high-tech version of a balance scale has just brought scientists a critical step closer toward a new and improved definition of the kilogram. The scale, called the NIST-4 watt balance, has conducted its first measurement of a fundamental physical quantity called Planck's constant to within 34 parts per billion -- demonstrating the scale is accurate enough to assist the international scientific community with the redefinition of the kilogram, an event slated for 2018.