Kibble balance by Ciro Santilli 40 Updated 2025-07-16
The Kibble balance is so precise and reproducible that it was responsible for the 2019 redefinition of the Kilogram.
It relies rely on not one, but three macroscopic quantum mechanical effects:
How cool is that! As usual, the advantage of those effects is that they are discrete, and have very fixed values that don't depend either:
One downside of using some quantum mechanical effects is that you have to cool everything down to 5K. But that's OK, we've got liquid helium!
The operating principle is something along:
Then, based on all this, you can determine how much the object weights.
Video 1.
How We're Redefining the kg by Veritasium
. Source.
Video 2.
The Kibble Balance, realizing the Kilogram from fundamental constants of nature by Richard Green
. Source. Presented in 2022 for a CENAM seminar, the Mexican metrology institute. The speaker is from the Canadian metrology institute
Video 3. . Source. Nothing much, but fun to hear Kibble talking about his balance in beautiful English before he passed.
As of my last knowledge update in October 2023, Squaregraph is a tool designed for businesses and organizations to help visualize data and create high-quality graphics for reporting, presentations, or marketing. It often aims to make data analysis more accessible and engaging through various visualization techniques, such as graphs, charts, and infographics. Squaregraph typically offers features that allow users to analyze data, generate visual content, and customize layouts to suit specific branding or informational needs.
A Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) is a detailed graphic representation of a process system, showing the piping, equipment, instrumentation, and control devices. P&IDs are used in various fields such as chemical, oil and gas, mechanical, and environmental engineering to design, build, and manage process plants. ### Key Components of a P&ID: 1. **Piping**: The physical pipes that transport fluids, gases, or slurries through the system.
Variance is a statistical measure that reflects the degree of spread or dispersion of a set of values around their mean (average). When considering the variance of the mean and predicted responses, it is helpful to differentiate between two concepts: the variance of the sample mean and the variance of predicted responses in the context of regression models. ### Variance of the Mean 1.
A pump dispenser is a mechanism used to dispense liquid products in a controlled manner. It typically consists of a pump mechanism, a nozzle or spout, and a container that holds the liquid. When the user presses down on the pump mechanism, it creates suction that draws liquid from the container and pushes it out through the nozzle.
CER computers typically refer to a specific type of computer system or technology that focuses on computing in the context of clinical and translational research, particularly in the field of healthcare. However, it can also refer to "Clinical Evaluation Research" in some contexts. The term "CER" could relate to various sectors or fields depending on the specific usage, but it is not widely recognized as a standard term in computer science or technology outside of specialized areas.
"Stranger Things Have Happened" is the debut studio album by American singer Justin Guarini, released on June 10, 2003. Guarini gained fame as the runner-up on the first season of "American Idol." The album incorporates pop and R&B influences and features a mix of original songs as well as covers. The title track, "Stranger Things Have Happened," became one of his notable songs and was released as a single.
Strategic nuclear weapons are designed to be used primarily in a large-scale war to deter an adversary from attacking or to destroy significant military and industrial targets. They typically have long ranges and powerful yields, making them capable of causing widespread destruction.
A pumpjack, also known as a beam pump or a nodding donkey, is a mechanical device used to extract crude oil from an oil well. It is commonly used in onshore oil production and is characterized by its distinctive appearance, which resembles a horse's head nodding up and down. The pumpjack operates by converting the rotary motion of an electric or gas-powered motor into the alternating motion required to lift oil from a well.
Stable matching is a concept primarily found in the field of game theory and economics, particularly in the context of matching markets. It refers to a situation where members of two different sets (commonly referred to as "agents") are paired in a way that no two individuals would prefer to be matched with each other over their current partners. This concept was popularized by the Gale-Shapley algorithm, which was introduced in their seminal paper "College Admissions and the Stability of Marriage" in 1962.
The term "string group" can refer to several different concepts depending on the context in which it's used. Here are a few common interpretations: 1. **Music**: In the context of music, a "string group" may refer to a section of an orchestra that consists of string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. This group can perform together or in smaller ensembles.
Structural rigidity refers to the ability of a structure to maintain its shape and resist deformation when subjected to external forces or loads. It is an important property in engineering and architecture, as it impacts how buildings, bridges, and other structures respond to various types of stresses, including bending, twisting, and axial loads. Several factors influence structural rigidity, including: 1. **Material Properties:** The material used in a structure (e.g.
Stuart Meeson is a British journalist and television presenter, known for his work in broadcasting, particularly in the field of news. He has worked for various media outlets, including as a weather presenter and in other reporting roles.
Sub-group hiding refers to a situation in statistical analysis or research where certain groups or subgroups within a dataset are not disclosed or are intentionally concealed. This can occur in various contexts, such as surveys, studies, or data reporting, and can involve groups defined by characteristics such as demographics, behaviors, or other variables.
Superreal numbers are an extension of the real numbers which include infinitesimal and infinite quantities. They were introduced in the context of non-standard analysis, a branch of mathematics that studies properties of numbers and functions using hyperreal numbers and other related systems. In more precise terms, superreal numbers can be thought of as a way to incorporate both infinitesimally small and infinitely large quantities into the number system.
The number 8000 is an integer that represents eight thousand. It can be expressed in various forms: - In standard form: \(8000\) - In scientific notation: \(8 \times 10^3\) - In Roman numerals: \(MMMMMMMM\) (not commonly used for such large numbers) - In words: "eight thousand" In practical contexts, 8000 can be used to represent quantities, measurements, amounts of money, etc.
A symmetric-key algorithm is a type of cryptographic algorithm where the same key is used for both encryption and decryption of data. This means that both the sender and the receiver must possess the same secret key in order to encrypt and decrypt messages securely. ### Key Characteristics of Symmetric-Key Algorithms: 1. **Single Key Use**: The same key is used for both operations, which means that key management and distribution become crucial aspects of maintaining security.
System in Package (SiP) is a type of semiconductor packaging technology that integrates multiple components, such as microprocessors, memory chips, passive components, and other electronic circuits, into a single package or module. This contrasts with traditional packaging approaches, where each component is housed separately. Key features of System in Package include: 1. **Integration**: SiP allows for the integration of heterogeneous components (e.g.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact