Gaithersburg, Maryland - November 09, 2018: The Kibble Balance located in the subbasement of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg is instrumental in redefining the Kilogram, using Planck’s Constant, a value from quantum mechanics.
The NIST-4 Kibble Balance uses electromagnetism instead of gravity to weigh an object's mass, precise to 900 nanometers.
Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have helped improved methods for definitively measuring a kilogram. Representatives from 57 countries will vote at the General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles, France to redefine four basic units of measurement November 16, 2018.
CREDIT: Matt Roth for The New York Times
Assignment ID: 30226894A