Charlie Brown asked me on 2002-10-29:1502
Can you give me a comparison in length between the 1799 meter and the 1983 meter?
The length of the metre has not changed since its original definition. However, the precision with which it was defined was increased with each redefinition. The aim of each definition was to place the length of the new metre in the middle of the zone of uncertainty of the previous metre It was not a new length, it was the old length as nearly as could be determined. Maurice Danloux Dumesnils in his �tude Critique du Syst�eme M�triqe, 1962, gives a chart of the various definition of the metre. If I read his chart correctly, it is Quarter of the meridian 1 in 8 000 m�tre des Archives 1 in 100 000 metre of 1889 1 in 10 000 000 cadmium wavelength 1 in 60 000 000 krypton 86 wavelength 1 in 500 000 000 Joseph B. Reid 17 Glebe Road West Toronto M5P 1C8 Telephone 416-486-6071
