On November 16, 2018, in Versailles, France, a group of 60 countries made history. With a unanimous vote, they dramatically transformed the international system that underpins global science and trade. This single action finally realized scientists’ 150-year dream of a measurement system based entirely on unchanging fundamental properties of nature.
On that day, the International System of Units, informally known as the metric system — the way in which the world measures everything from coffee to the cosmos — changed in a way that is more profound than anything since its establishment following the French Revolution.
It was a turning point for humanity.
THE SI
The SI — the modern metric system — has seven base units from which all other measurement units can be derived. In November 2018, four of them — the kilogram, kelvin, ampere and mole — are slated to be redefined in terms of constants of nature. The remaining three — the second, meter, and candela — are already based on universal constants.
Click on the SI symbols below for more information (greyed-out items coming soon).
THE CONSTANTS
Scientists Voted on Metric Makeover
After decades of groundbreaking laboratory work, the world’s scientific and technical community is about to redefine four of the seven base units for the International System of Units (SI). A vote to adopt the change is slated for November 16, 2018, at Versailles, France.