Judy, I'm not a scientist, but there are many reasons for a measurement to change -- usually human error is involved. That would be my first "looksee" at the issue. Could be something as goofy as "the janitor licks the bar when no one is looking." The missing mass is equal to what a "fingerprint" would be composed of. Maybe someone wiped the bar especially well!!! ;-)
Mass can spontaneously dissolve -- usually it takes trillions of years though. Cosmic rays can chip off chunks of the kilogram, but why either of these processes would be affecting one bar and not the "exact" copies is where the mystery arises. A hunk of molten iron flowing under the crust could alter the gravity under the measurement devices. For instance, when we landed on the moon, there were mass-cons -- concentrations of particularly heavy material -- that made for tricky navigation during the landing -- gravity's pull increases and decreases depending on what's underneath. (Sorta like what Maharishi is saying when he says the minerals of the land determine the personality of the culture.) So, yeah, I don't know the answer, and I don't know that my reasons above are at the top of the list of possible reasons, but one thing I am certain of is that a physical cause is way more likely than an oogabooga cause. When Y2K loomed, I ran around like Chicken Little, and nothing happened. So, don't expect me to get anywhere near that kind of frenetic obsessiveness with a kilogram losing mass and screaming to the world that the sky is falling. If the rapture is coming, I think there won't be any warning signs. BAM!!! Done. Like that. 2 Peter 3:9-11 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. Pretty scary to me! Edg --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], Duveyoung <no_reply@> wrote: > <snip> > > There's many possible reasons the kilogram could be losing mass, > > and they're only beginning to try to understand that. > > What are some of the possible reasons? > > (BTW, at this point Bronte and I were just talking > about the earth's rotation, not the one reference > kilogram losing mass. We realized any large-scale > changes would affect all the kilogram measures, > not just a single one. But the pendulum/rotation > question was interesting on its own terms, so we > were pursuing it independently of the kilogram > question.) >
