A resolution approving new definitions for the base units of the International System of Units (SI) will come into force on May 20. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the press service of the State Committee for Standardization of Belarus.
The International System of Units is necessary to ensure that units of measurement, whether a meter or a second, remain comparable and consistent worldwide. New definitions have been established for four of the seven base units: the kilogram, the ampere, the kelvin, and the mole.
The redefinition will facilitate the practical use of the SI system. All units are now expressed using fundamental constants that can be observed in the surrounding world (for example, this applies to the speed of light, Planck's constant, or Avogadro's constant). The use of these unchanging natural standards for measurements will ensure the reliability and constancy of the definitions of units of measurement in the future. The last remaining artifact, the international prototype of the kilogram, is officially replaced by a new implementation in the form of a physical experiment based on the value of Planck's constant.
The approval of the resolution to revise the International System of Units is the result of many years of fruitful cooperation between national metrology institutes and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). The redefined units of measurement will open up new opportunities for the development and implementation of innovative solutions and technologies in science and industry, and in everyday life.
For example, more accurate temperature measurement will help improve the monitoring and forecasting of climate change. The definition of the second using atomic clocks will allow for high-precision determination of an object's location. Without new levels of measurement accuracy, the development of technologies for the internet and mobile communications, navigation systems, and the advancement of smart cities will be impossible.
"The transition to the updated International System of Units worldwide will be gradual, and nothing will change in everyday life from May 20. This issue is currently at the stage of task setting and discussion within international and regional metrology organizations," explained Valery Gurevich, Director of the Belarusian State Institute of Metrology. "However, it can already be said that measuring instruments are emerging that rely on different, more modern approaches. In the long term, this will significantly impact both global instrument manufacturing and the metrology services market."