the.com/metrology
the obsessive science of measuring everything, including how wrong your ruler probably is
means The scientific study of measurement — establishing standardized units, ensuring instruments are accurate, and quantifying the uncertainty in every reading.
from From the Greek 'metron' (measure) — the same root behind 'meter' and 'metric' — plus '-logy' (study of), via French 'métrologie' in the early 19th century. Don't confuse it with 'meteorology': that's weather, and the shared 'metr-' echo is coincidental, since 'meteorology' comes from Greek 'meteoron,' meaning things high in the air.
- kilogram redefined
- In 2019 the kilo ditched its metal lump for physics constants
- old standard
- A platinum cylinder once defined mass for 130 years
- not meteorology
- Studies measurement, not weather, despite endless confusion
- defines the meter
- Distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 of a second
- trillionth precision
- Atomic clocks measure time to staggering decimal places
for instance
metre convention of 1875 — treaty signed by 17 nations establishing international standards for measurement; now 64 member states