World's Roundest Object!

The world's roundest object helps solve the longest running problem in measurement --- how to define the kilogram.

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Picture of schlafanzyk35 achievements

+15 1. schlafanzyk commented 11 years ago

This is a pretty awesome thing to happen in our lifetime. I remember wondering in school years ago, why they haven't found a better way to define a kilogram yet. The idea of basically a block of material in a room seemed very outdated to me, even at the time when I barely knew anything about physics.
We need to bury one of those things in a nuclear bunker for future generations of intelligence to find, before we blow ourselves up over religion and resources, destroying all written and digital records in the process.
Picture of steve196025 achievements

+5 2. steve1960 commented 11 years ago

my brian ackes now.
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+9 3. Natan_el_Tigre commented 11 years ago

Impostor! This is NOT Michael from Vsauce! :|
Picture of mikeaza36 achievements

+23 4. mikeaza commented 11 years ago

You heard him USA.
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+9 5. jackDjohnson commented 11 years ago

Don't worry Paris, if you loose your kilogram, Mexico has tons of shit that weighs exactly a Kilo >:)
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+4 6. Teqskater commented 11 years ago

He is easier to understand than Michael from vsauce

Don't know if it's because of this topic but i think it's because this guy kinda sticks to one subject. Mechael somethimes alternates to quickly (at least for me) between subjects.

But hey...both take time to tell something. for free, in their free time i guess. That's something we must not forget
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+3 7. psBigFanSnotr commented 11 years ago

This is Veritasium's channel on youtube and I recommend everyone watches it. He's very good at meeting members of the public and challenging their flawed notions of Newtonian physics.
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+3 8. WildMonkey commented 11 years ago

BS, how is it easier to measure and make a perfect sphere than a cube or cuboid shape? Cuboids don't have to muck around with imaginary numbers like Pi.
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+4 9. aquilon1234 commented 11 years ago

#8 I think because it's way more difficult to make a perfect cube at level of precision... you grind a side it unbalances all other sides.... so when do it stops... ???
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+5 10. schlafanzyk commented 11 years ago

Exactly, a sphere is the easiest geometric shape to sustain and work with, because of the fact that it is self-stabilizing. Planets are good examples for that. Even though they are made of all kinds of different solids and fluids as well as gases, they are still very close to a perfect mathematical sphere. They are also easier to measure, because you can just spin a sphere and look for relative differences with a single laser reflection setup.

If you wanted to grind a perfect cube, you would have to get it down to a single atom edge, which is virtually impossible because of how fragile the material woud be at that point.
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+3 11. librabooks commented 11 years ago

#9 an #10 To add to your comments, don't forget the shape of the atom is also round and pi helps with the calculations of the area under the curve. It gives you a more precise measurement of the true shape because of the laser - photons bouncing off electrons - and the scatter on the collection plates. They had a pretty good graphic indication on the computer.
Also don't forget the tools that they have to use to hold it. Fingerprints leave added weight so holding it in your hands is out. Gloves can also leave a residue. Any tools that require pressure change the shape because of pressure. A pool with a constant Archimedes force holding it up can easily be calculated to use in determining the CLOSER than ACTUAL shape.
Hell, send that thing up in space and you can determine it better, don't you think?