On Thursday 24 March 2005 10:21, rocky the squirrel wrote:
> It is a pity that the definition of a kilogram has to
> be some huge number of wavelengths or carbon atoms or
> what have you. Is the idea of it being the mass of a
> cubic decimeter of water at the triple point too old
> fashioned now?
It's not at the triple point, it's at the maximum density point, which is 3.98
�C. Defining it at the triple point would be really silly, since water has
three densities there. But defining it at the maximum density point requires
also specifying the pressure, since that influences density too, and since
the pascal is defined in terms of the kilogram, that results in a circular
definition.
phma
--
My monthly periods happen once per year.
-Les Perles de la m�decine
