If scientists had sacred objects, this would be one of them: a single, closely guarded 137-year-old cylinder of metal, housed in a vault outside of Paris. It is a prototype that precisely defines a ...

The redefinition of several physical base units planned for 2018 requires precise knowledge of the values of certain fundamental physical constants. Scientists are working hard to meet the deadlines ...

What unit of measurement should be used for specific reports? Whether printing out a check register or calculating square footage, using the correct team is essential. A size mistake can lead to ...

The NIST-4 Kibble balance, an electromagnetic weighing machine that is used to measure Planck's constant, and in turn, redefine the kilogram. Jennifer Lauren Lee / NIST Locked in a vault that requires ...

From a Jiffy to a Furlong, what are these strange units of measurement that we still use every day? Join Olivia Gordon and ...

Update, May 20th, 2019, 10AM ET: This article was originally published in November 2018. As of May 20th, 2019, World Metrology Day, the new definition of the kilogram based on Planck’s constant has ...

Humans have a need to quantify things. And sometimes the usual measurements — feet, meters, grams — are not good enough. Or funny enough. Sometimes you need to express things in bananas, Helens, or ...

When it comes to measuring things, there are some odd units of measurement out there. While measuring in feet is standard, there are many weirder ways to measure. Did you know a hand is a unit of ...

Here’s a handy chart of the units of measure we use all the time for electronic quantities. Note that the unit itself is lower case, the person it is named for is ...