2073: Kilogram - Revision history

SomebodyElse: /* Explanation */ just linking characters' names

2026-05-13T11:06:44Z

‎Explanation: just linking characters' names

172.70.160.249: /* Explanation */ "fixing it to" had further implications of 1:1 ratio, not 1:. Replaced 'lazy ampersand' with proper 'and'.

2024-06-12T12:13:39Z

‎Explanation: "fixing it to" had further implications of 1:1 ratio, not 1:<othermultiple>. Replaced 'lazy ampersand' with proper 'and'.

172.70.160.249: /* Explanation */ Of course, it could be 'solved' by defining kg against a prior (non-averdupois) pound...

2024-06-12T12:07:40Z

‎Explanation: Of course, it could be 'solved' by defining kg against a prior (non-averdupois) pound...

MrCandela: /* Explanation */ Rewrote the circular definition bit because I think it's a crucial part of the joke

2024-06-12T09:39:56Z

‎Explanation: Rewrote the circular definition bit because I think it's a crucial part of the joke

MrCandela: Reordered explanation to talk about the comic first

2024-06-12T09:29:00Z

Reordered explanation to talk about the comic first

Apollo11: Changed it from saying that the the pound would be redefined since the kilogram was redefined (i think that randall's comic is impling that they made the two even) to saying the problem is that it doesnt change the fact that they are linked to a object

2024-03-19T22:29:24Z

Changed it from saying that the the pound would be redefined since the kilogram was redefined (i think that randall's comic is impling that they made the two even) to saying the problem is that it doesnt change the fact that they are linked to a object

FaviFake: /* Explanation */

2023-05-17T16:16:55Z

‎Explanation

JLZ0kTC5 at 10:07, 21 October 2022

2022-10-21T10:07:53Z

172.69.22.227: meter

2022-10-20T19:02:50Z

meter

Theusaf: Reverted edits by Donald Trump (talk) to last revision by CRLF

2022-05-26T20:00:00Z

Reverted edits by Donald Trump (talk) to last revision by CRLF

Show changes

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 Standard units such as the kilogram, meter, and second are redefined from time to time as measurement technologies improve. These redefinitions are generally done to improve the precision to which the various units can be known or reproduced, without changing their actual value. The joke here is that redefining the kilogram to equal one pound sounds like an incredible idea to Americans who never use the kilogram. However, this idea would cause mass confusion and outrage, and would additionally fail to improve the precision of the kilogram.
-In this comic, Black Hat announces that the kilogram has been redefined as equal to one {{w|Pound (mass)|pound}}. Ponytail and Cueball seem to think this makes things simpler, but Megan is alarmed. The metric system of measurement is the one used by most of the world and is the standard system used in science. Redefining the kilogram to be equal to the pound would be very disruptive and outrage supporters of the metric system. This is for two reasons. The first is that since the pound and the kilogram are completely different, redefining the kilogram to a new size from before will create a lot of confusion, since now when people read a mass in kilograms they need to work out whether it was written in old kilograms or new (pound-sized) kilograms.
+In this comic, [[Black Hat]] announces that the kilogram has been redefined as equal to one {{w|Pound (mass)|pound}}. [[Ponytail]] and [[Cueball]] seem to think this makes things simpler, but [[Megan]] is alarmed. The metric system of measurement is the one used by most of the world and is the standard system used in science. Redefining the kilogram to be equal to the pound would be very disruptive and outrage supporters of the metric system. This is for two reasons. The first is that since the pound and the kilogram are completely different, redefining the kilogram to a new size from before will create a lot of confusion, since now when people read a mass in kilograms they need to work out whether it was written in old kilograms or new (pound-sized) kilograms.
 The second reason is that the {{w|Pound (mass)#Current use|current definition}} of the pound relies on the kilogram, as the pound is officially defined as 0.45359237 kilograms. If the kilogram is defined in terms of the pound, which is still defined in terms of the kilogram, then in effect the kilogram is defined in terms of itself. This is illogical, leads to potentially spiralling redefinitions, and does not solve the original problem of increasing the precision of the kilogram measure.
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 The new method of confirming that a kilogram is accurate relies upon an extremely precise knowledge of local gravitational effects and an absence (or counteraction) of electromagnetic interference. On a traditional scale, two units of equal weight will balance, regardless of local gravitational levels; whereas the new method requires that the gravitational force be determined precisely for every site, meaning an additional measurement has to take place. This involves a high-precision {{w|gravimeter}} such as the FG5 absolute gravimeter.
-The title text continues the joke by saying that the meter has been defined as exactly three feet. The yard, the closest US measurement to the meter, is three feet. However, a meter is about 9 centimeters (~3.55 inches) longer than a yard. As with the pound, the metric system is used to define the yard as it is officially defined as 0.9144 meters. This joke recreates the comic in the real world, with Randall playing as Black Hat, and the reader responding. Those who fall for the claim will either be excited that things are simpler, or devastated at what the result will be.
+The title text continues the joke by saying that the meter has been defined as exactly three feet. The yard, the closest US measurement to the meter, is three feet. However, a meter is about 9 centimeters (~3.55 inches) longer than a yard. As with the pound, the metric system is used to define the yard as it is officially defined as 0.9144 meters. This joke recreates the comic in the real world, with [[Randall]] playing as Black Hat, and the reader responding. Those who fall for the claim will either be excited that things are simpler, or devastated at what the result will be.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 The second reason is that the {{w|Pound (mass)#Current use|current definition}} of the pound relies on the kilogram, as the pound is officially defined as 0.45359237 kilograms. If the kilogram is defined in terms of the pound, which is still defined in terms of the kilogram, then in effect the kilogram is defined in terms of itself. This is illogical, leads to potentially spiralling redefinitions, and does not solve the original problem of increasing the precision of the kilogram measure.
-On the day of this comic, the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures|General Conference on Weights and Measures}} (which Randall confused with the {{w|International Committee for Weights and Measures|International Committee for Weights and Measures}}) voted to redefine the {{w|kilogram}} by fixing it to the value of {{w|Planck's Constant}}. This is measured using a {{w|Kibble balance}}, which involves passing a measured current through an electromagnet to exert a force to balance 1&nbsp;kg. The change took effect on May 20, 2019, when the platinum cylinder International Prototype Kilogram that previously defined the unit was retired. This means that the mass of a kilogram is no longer tied to a physical object, but to the fundamental properties of the universe. By fixing the value of Planck constant to 6.62607015×10<sup>-34</sup>&nbsp;kg⋅m<sup>2</sup>⋅s<sup>−1</sup>, the kilogram is defined in terms of the second and the speed of light via the meter.
+On the day of this comic, the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures|General Conference on Weights and Measures}} (which Randall confused with the {{w|International Committee for Weights and Measures|International Committee for Weights and Measures}}) voted to redefine the {{w|kilogram}} by fixing it via the value of {{w|Planck's Constant}}. This is measured using a {{w|Kibble balance}}, which involves passing a measured current through an electromagnet to exert a force to balance 1&nbsp;kg. The change took effect on May 20, 2019, when the platinum cylinder International Prototype Kilogram that previously defined the unit was retired. This means that the mass of a kilogram is no longer tied to a physical object, but to the fundamental properties of the universe. By fixing the value of Planck constant to 6.62607015×10<sup>-34</sup>&nbsp;kg⋅m<sup>2</sup>⋅s<sup>−1</sup>, the kilogram is defined in terms of the second and the speed of light via the meter.
 The previous method of confirming that a kilogram is accurate is to use physical metal weights measuring exactly one kilogram, periodically transporting them around the world to an official weight lab to confirm they still weigh the same. Over time these physical objects have changed very slightly in their mass making them unreliable in the long run -- thus running into the issue that a kilogram did not stay a constant measure of mass. Note that these weights and comparisons are so precise that a fingerprint on one of the weights could throw them off.
-The new method of confirming that a kilogram is accurate relies upon an extremely precise knowledge of local gravitational effects & an absence (or counteraction) of electromagnetic interference. On a traditional scale, two units of equal weight will balance, regardless of local gravitational levels; whereas the new method requires that the gravitational force be determined precisely for every site, meaning an additional measurement has to take place. This involves a high-precision {{w|gravimeter}} such as the FG5 absolute gravimeter.
+The new method of confirming that a kilogram is accurate relies upon an extremely precise knowledge of local gravitational effects and an absence (or counteraction) of electromagnetic interference. On a traditional scale, two units of equal weight will balance, regardless of local gravitational levels; whereas the new method requires that the gravitational force be determined precisely for every site, meaning an additional measurement has to take place. This involves a high-precision {{w|gravimeter}} such as the FG5 absolute gravimeter.
 The title text continues the joke by saying that the meter has been defined as exactly three feet. The yard, the closest US measurement to the meter, is three feet. However, a meter is about 9 centimeters (~3.55 inches) longer than a yard. As with the pound, the metric system is used to define the yard as it is officially defined as 0.9144 meters. This joke recreates the comic in the real world, with Randall playing as Black Hat, and the reader responding. Those who fall for the claim will either be excited that things are simpler, or devastated at what the result will be.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 Standard units such as the kilogram, meter, and second are redefined from time to time as measurement technologies improve. These redefinitions are generally done to improve the precision to which the various units can be known or reproduced, without changing their actual value. The joke here is that redefining the kilogram to equal one pound sounds like an incredible idea to Americans who never use the kilogram. However, this idea would cause mass confusion and outrage, and would additionally fail to improve the precision of the kilogram.
-In this comic, Black Hat announces that the kilogram has been redefined as equal to one {{w|Pound (mass)|pound}}. Ponytail and Cueball seem to think this makes things simpler, but Megan is alarmed. The metric system of measurement is the one used by most of the world and is the standard system used in science. Redefining the kilogram to be equal to the pound would be very disruptive and outrage supporters of the metric system. This is for two reasons. The first is that since the pound and the kilogram are completely different , redefining the kilogram to a new size from before will create a lot of confusion, since now when people read a mass in kilograms they need to work out whether it was written in old kilograms or new (pound-sized) kilograms.
+In this comic, Black Hat announces that the kilogram has been redefined as equal to one {{w|Pound (mass)|pound}}. Ponytail and Cueball seem to think this makes things simpler, but Megan is alarmed. The metric system of measurement is the one used by most of the world and is the standard system used in science. Redefining the kilogram to be equal to the pound would be very disruptive and outrage supporters of the metric system. This is for two reasons. The first is that since the pound and the kilogram are completely different, redefining the kilogram to a new size from before will create a lot of confusion, since now when people read a mass in kilograms they need to work out whether it was written in old kilograms or new (pound-sized) kilograms.
-The second reason is that the definition of the pound relies on the kilogram, as the pound is officially defined as 0.45359237 kilograms. If the kilogram is defined in terms of the pound, which is defined in terms of the kilogram, then in effect the kilogram is defined in terms of itself. This is illogical, and does not solve the original problem of increasing the precision of the kilogram measure.
+The second reason is that the {{w|Pound (mass)#Current use|current definition}} of the pound relies on the kilogram, as the pound is officially defined as 0.45359237 kilograms. If the kilogram is defined in terms of the pound, which is still defined in terms of the kilogram, then in effect the kilogram is defined in terms of itself. This is illogical, leads to potentially spiralling redefinitions, and does not solve the original problem of increasing the precision of the kilogram measure.
 On the day of this comic, the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures|General Conference on Weights and Measures}} (which Randall confused with the {{w|International Committee for Weights and Measures|International Committee for Weights and Measures}}) voted to redefine the {{w|kilogram}} by fixing it to the value of {{w|Planck's Constant}}. This is measured using a {{w|Kibble balance}}, which involves passing a measured current through an electromagnet to exert a force to balance 1&nbsp;kg. The change took effect on May 20, 2019, when the platinum cylinder International Prototype Kilogram that previously defined the unit was retired. This means that the mass of a kilogram is no longer tied to a physical object, but to the fundamental properties of the universe. By fixing the value of Planck constant to 6.62607015×10<sup>-34</sup>&nbsp;kg⋅m<sup>2</sup>⋅s<sup>−1</sup>, the kilogram is defined in terms of the second and the speed of light via the meter.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Explanation==
-Standard units such as the kilogram, meter, and second are redefined from time to time as measurement technologies improve. These redefinitions are generally done to improve the precision to which the various units can be known or reproduced, without changing their actual value. The joke here is that redefining the kilogram to equal one pound sounds like an incredible idea to Americans who never use the kilogram. It would not only fail to improve on its precision, but would also significantly change the value of what a kilogram is, making all things already measured for science and in the rest of the world impossible to correctly understand the mass of.
+Standard units such as the kilogram, meter, and second are redefined from time to time as measurement technologies improve. These redefinitions are generally done to improve the precision to which the various units can be known or reproduced, without changing their actual value. The joke here is that redefining the kilogram to equal one pound sounds like an incredible idea to Americans who never use the kilogram. However, this idea would cause mass confusion and outrage, and would additionally fail to improve the precision of the kilogram.
-In this comic, Black Hat announces that the kilogram has been redefined as equal to one {{w|Pound (mass)|pound}}. Ponytail and Cueball seem to think this makes things simpler, but Megan is alarmed. The metric system of measurement is the one used by most of the world and is the standard system used in science. Redefining the kilogram to be equal to the pound would be very disruptive and outrage supporters of the metric system. Redefining the kilogram as being a completely different size from before will create a lot of confusion, since now when people read a mass in kilograms they need to work out whether it was written in old kilograms or new (pound-sized) kilograms.
+In this comic, Black Hat announces that the kilogram has been redefined as equal to one {{w|Pound (mass)|pound}}. Ponytail and Cueball seem to think this makes things simpler, but Megan is alarmed. The metric system of measurement is the one used by most of the world and is the standard system used in science. Redefining the kilogram to be equal to the pound would be very disruptive and outrage supporters of the metric system. This is for two reasons. The first is that since the pound and the kilogram are completely different , redefining the kilogram to a new size from before will create a lot of confusion, since now when people read a mass in kilograms they need to work out whether it was written in old kilograms or new (pound-sized) kilograms.
-The pound is officially defined as 0.45359237 kilograms, or less than half a kilogram. This makes defining a kilogram as one pound even more impossible, as now they are then stuck in a loop, as they have not solved the original problem, that the kilogram was tied to a physical object. Because the pound is based off the kilogram, changing the kilograms weight to a pound does not solve anything, as they still need to define what a (pound)kilogram is.
+The second reason is that the definition of the pound relies on the kilogram, as the pound is officially defined as 0.45359237 kilograms. If the kilogram is defined in terms of the pound, which is defined in terms of the kilogram, then in effect the kilogram is defined in terms of itself. This is illogical, and does not solve the original problem of increasing the precision of the kilogram measure.
-On the day of this comic, the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures|General Conference on Weights and Measures}} (which Randall confused with the {{w|International Committee for Weights and Measures|International Committee for Weights and Measures}}) voted to redefine the {{w|kilogram}} by fixing it to the value of {{w|Planck's Constant}}. This is measured using a {{w|Kibble balance}}, which involves passing a measured current through an electromagnet to exert a force to balance 1&nbsp;kg. The change took effect on May 20, 2019, when the platinum cylinder International Prototype Kilogram that defines the unit was retired. This means that the mass of a kilogram is no longer tied to a physical object, but to the fundamental properties of the universe. By fixing the value of Planck constant to 6.62607015×10<sup>-34</sup>&nbsp;kg⋅m<sup>2</sup>⋅s<sup>−1</sup>, the kilogram is defined in terms of the second and the speed of light via the meter.
+On the day of this comic, the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures|General Conference on Weights and Measures}} (which Randall confused with the {{w|International Committee for Weights and Measures|International Committee for Weights and Measures}}) voted to redefine the {{w|kilogram}} by fixing it to the value of {{w|Planck's Constant}}. This is measured using a {{w|Kibble balance}}, which involves passing a measured current through an electromagnet to exert a force to balance 1&nbsp;kg. The change took effect on May 20, 2019, when the platinum cylinder International Prototype Kilogram that previously defined the unit was retired. This means that the mass of a kilogram is no longer tied to a physical object, but to the fundamental properties of the universe. By fixing the value of Planck constant to 6.62607015×10<sup>-34</sup>&nbsp;kg⋅m<sup>2</sup>⋅s<sup>−1</sup>, the kilogram is defined in terms of the second and the speed of light via the meter.
 The previous method of confirming that a kilogram is accurate is to use physical metal weights measuring exactly one kilogram, periodically transporting them around the world to an official weight lab to confirm they still weigh the same. Over time these physical objects have changed very slightly in their mass making them unreliable in the long run -- thus running into the issue that a kilogram did not stay a constant measure of mass. Note that these weights and comparisons are so precise that a fingerprint on one of the weights could throw them off.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 Standard units such as the kilogram, meter, and second are redefined from time to time as measurement technologies improve. These redefinitions are generally done to improve the precision to which the various units can be known or reproduced, without changing their actual value. The joke here is that redefining the kilogram to equal one pound sounds like an incredible idea to Americans who never use the kilogram. It would not only fail to improve on its precision, but would also significantly change the value of what a kilogram is, making all things already measured for science and in the rest of the world impossible to correctly understand the mass of.
 On the day of this comic, the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures|General Conference on Weights and Measures}} (which Randall confused with the {{w|International Committee for Weights and Measures|International Committee for Weights and Measures}}) voted to redefine the {{w|kilogram}} by fixing it to the value of {{w|Planck's Constant}}. This is measured using a {{w|Kibble balance}}, which involves passing a measured current through an electromagnet to exert a force to balance 1&nbsp;kg. The change took effect on May 20, 2019, when the platinum cylinder International Prototype Kilogram that defines the unit was retired. This means that the mass of a kilogram is no longer tied to a physical object, but to the fundamental properties of the universe. By fixing the value of Planck constant to 6.62607015×10<sup>-34</sup>&nbsp;kg⋅m<sup>2</sup>⋅s<sup>−1</sup>, the kilogram is defined in terms of the second and the speed of light via the meter.
@@ Line 16: / Line 20: @@
 The new method of confirming that a kilogram is accurate relies upon an extremely precise knowledge of local gravitational effects & an absence (or counteraction) of electromagnetic interference. On a traditional scale, two units of equal weight will balance, regardless of local gravitational levels; whereas the new method requires that the gravitational force be determined precisely for every site, meaning an additional measurement has to take place. This involves a high-precision {{w|gravimeter}} such as the FG5 absolute gravimeter.
 The title text continues the joke by saying that the meter has been defined as exactly three feet. The yard, the closest US measurement to the meter, is three feet. However, a meter is about 9 centimeters (~3.55 inches) longer than a yard. As with the pound, the metric system is used to define the yard as it is officially defined as 0.9144 meters. This joke recreates the comic in the real world, with Randall playing as Black Hat, and the reader responding. Those who fall for the claim will either be excited that things are simpler, or devastated at what the result will be.

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 {{w|Second#"Atomic"_second|One second}} is defined to be a specific number of periods of the radiation emitted in a certain transition of a cesium 133 atom.  The specific number was set in the year 1967, so as to match a previous astronomical standard called {{w|Second#Fraction_of_an_ephemeris_year|ephemeris time}} to the limit of human measuring ability at the time.  The 1967 definition didn’t change the actual duration of a second, but it did make its measurement forever reproducible.
-In 1983 the value of ''c'' was fixed to the value noted above.  Prior to that it had been measured with respect to existing definitions of a meter, and had to be expressed with a measure of uncertainty.  For example in 1973 a team at the US National Bureau of Standards refined ''c'' to 299,792,457.4 m/s ± 1 m/s.  But from 1983 onwards, with an exact integer value for ''c'' that is quite close to that Bureau measurement, the length of a metre is now fixed with no plus/minus uncertainty.  Furthermore, both the second and the metre match their predecessor definitions for all intents and purposes.
+In 1983 the value of ''c'' was fixed to the value noted above.  Prior to that it had been measured with respect to existing definitions of a meter, and had to be expressed with a measure of uncertainty.  For example in 1973 a team at the US National Bureau of Standards refined ''c'' to 299,792,457.4 m/s ± 1 m/s.  But from 1983 onwards, with an exact integer value for ''c'' that is quite close to that Bureau measurement, the length of a meter is now fixed with no plus/minus uncertainty.  Furthermore, both the second and the meter match their predecessor definitions for all intents and purposes.
 Similar redefinitions of units of mass and of temperature in terms of universal constants have been agreed to, mass with regard to the Planck constant ''h'', and temperature with regard to the Boltzmann constant ''k''.  The constants ''h'' and ''k'' had previously been measured quantities, complete with uncertainties.  The SI body fixed both of them to exact values, resulting in exact, no-uncertainty values for a kilogram of mass and a kelvin of thermodynamic temperature.  As with the second and the meter, these new definitions match their predecessor definitions for all intents and purposes.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Explanation==
-Standard units such as the kilogram, metre, and second are redefined from time to time as measurement technologies improve. These redefinitions are generally done to improve the precision to which the various units can be known or reproduced, without changing their actual value. The joke here is that redefining the kilogram to equal one pound sounds like an incredible idea to Americans who never use the kilogram. It would not only fail to improve on its precision, but would also significantly change the value of what a kilogram is, making all things already measured for science and in the rest of the world impossible to correctly understand the mass of.
+Standard units such as the kilogram, meter, and second are redefined from time to time as measurement technologies improve. These redefinitions are generally done to improve the precision to which the various units can be known or reproduced, without changing their actual value. The joke here is that redefining the kilogram to equal one pound sounds like an incredible idea to Americans who never use the kilogram. It would not only fail to improve on its precision, but would also significantly change the value of what a kilogram is, making all things already measured for science and in the rest of the world impossible to correctly understand the mass of.
-On the day of this comic, the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures|General Conference on Weights and Measures}} (which Randall confuses with the {{w|International Committee for Weights and Measures|International Committee for Weights and Measures}}) voted to redefine the {{w|kilogram}} by fixing it to the value of {{w|Planck's Constant}}. This is measured using a {{w|Kibble balance}}, which involves passing a measured current through an electromagnet to exert a force to balance 1&nbsp;kg. The change took effect on May 20, 2019, when the platinum cylinder International Prototype Kilogram that defines the unit was retired. This means that the mass of a kilogram is no longer tied to a physical object, but to the fundamental properties of the universe. By fixing the value of Planck constant to 6.62607015×10<sup>-34</sup>&nbsp;kg⋅m<sup>2</sup>⋅s<sup>−1</sup>, the kilogram is defined in terms of the second and the speed of light via the metre.
+On the day of this comic, the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures|General Conference on Weights and Measures}} (which Randall confuses with the {{w|International Committee for Weights and Measures|International Committee for Weights and Measures}}) voted to redefine the {{w|kilogram}} by fixing it to the value of {{w|Planck's Constant}}. This is measured using a {{w|Kibble balance}}, which involves passing a measured current through an electromagnet to exert a force to balance 1&nbsp;kg. The change took effect on May 20, 2019, when the platinum cylinder International Prototype Kilogram that defines the unit was retired. This means that the mass of a kilogram is no longer tied to a physical object, but to the fundamental properties of the universe. By fixing the value of Planck constant to 6.62607015×10<sup>-34</sup>&nbsp;kg⋅m<sup>2</sup>⋅s<sup>−1</sup>, the kilogram is defined in terms of the second and the speed of light via the meter.
 The previous method of confirming that a kilogram is accurate is to use physical metal weights measuring exactly one kilogram, periodically transporting them around the world to an official weight lab to confirm they still weigh the same. Over time these physical objects have changed very slightly in their mass making them unreliable in the long run -- thus running into the issue that a kilogram did not stay a constant measure of mass. Note that these weights and comparisons are so precise that a fingerprint on one of the weights could throw them off.
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 The pound is officially defined as 0.45359237 kilograms, or less than half a kilogram. This makes defining a kilogram as one pound even more impossible as they are then stuck in a loop, as 0.45359237 kilograms must have the same mass as 1 kilogram, meaning the value of the kilogram would be equal to zero.
-The title text continues the joke by saying that the metre has been defined as exactly three feet. The yard, the closest US measurement to the metre, is three feet. However, a metre is about 9 centimetres (~3.55 inches) longer than a yard. As with the pound, the metric system is used to define the yard as it is officially defined as 0.9144 metres. This joke recreates the comic in the real world, with Randall playing as Black Hat, and the reader responding. Those who fall for the claim will either be excited that things are simpler, or devastated at what the result will be.
+The title text continues the joke by saying that the meter has been defined as exactly three feet. The yard, the closest US measurement to the meter, is three feet. However, a meter is about 9 centimeters (~3.55 inches) longer than a yard. As with the pound, the metric system is used to define the yard as it is officially defined as 0.9144 meters. This joke recreates the comic in the real world, with Randall playing as Black Hat, and the reader responding. Those who fall for the claim will either be excited that things are simpler, or devastated at what the result will be.
 ==Transcript==
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 To further expand on this, the classic definitions of all our various units of time, length, mass, and temperature are based on phenomena that are neither convenient to measure precisely nor in fact consistently reproducible.  The duration of an Earth day and year vary unpredictably, the circumference of the Earth varies, the International Prototype Kilogram gains or loses mass any time it is handled (and in fact just sitting there it and its reference copies diverge from each other), and the value of baseline temperatures such as the freezing point of water depend on which isotopes of hydrogen are in the water molecules.
-Nevertheless, there really are constants of nature.  For example, one of them is ‘''c''’, the speed of light in a vacuum.  The expressed value of ''c'' depends on your choice of the unit of distance and the unit of time, but it’s a constant in those units.  Now just suppose we all had a reproducible way to define a specific unit of time, which just for fun we call a ‘second’.  You might not know the length of a ‘metre’, but if I told you that measured in metres per second the universal constant value of ''c'' is exactly 299792458 metres per second, then I would have fixed the length of a metre to be exactly the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299792458 seconds.  And in fact this is what the international body responsible for defining our SI units has done.
+Nevertheless, there really are constants of nature.  For example, one of them is ‘''c''’, the speed of light in a vacuum.  The expressed value of ''c'' depends on your choice of the unit of distance and the unit of time, but it’s a constant in those units.  Now just suppose we all had a reproducible way to define a specific unit of time, which just for fun we call a ‘second’.  You might not know the length of a ‘meter’, but if I told you that measured in meters per second the universal constant value of ''c'' is exactly 299792458 meters per second, then I would have fixed the length of a meter to be exactly the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299792458 seconds.  And in fact this is what the international body responsible for defining our SI units has done.
 {{w|Second#"Atomic"_second|One second}} is defined to be a specific number of periods of the radiation emitted in a certain transition of a cesium 133 atom.  The specific number was set in the year 1967, so as to match a previous astronomical standard called {{w|Second#Fraction_of_an_ephemeris_year|ephemeris time}} to the limit of human measuring ability at the time.  The 1967 definition didn’t change the actual duration of a second, but it did make its measurement forever reproducible.
-In 1983 the value of ''c'' was fixed to the value noted above.  Prior to that it had been measured with respect to existing definitions of a metre, and had to be expressed with a measure of uncertainty.  For example in 1973 a team at the US National Bureau of Standards refined ''c'' to 299,792,457.4 m/s ± 1 m/s.  But from 1983 onwards, with an exact integer value for ''c'' that is quite close to that Bureau measurement, the length of a metre is now fixed with no plus/minus uncertainty.  Furthermore, both the second and the metre match their predecessor definitions for all intents and purposes.
+In 1983 the value of ''c'' was fixed to the value noted above.  Prior to that it had been measured with respect to existing definitions of a meter, and had to be expressed with a measure of uncertainty.  For example in 1973 a team at the US National Bureau of Standards refined ''c'' to 299,792,457.4 m/s ± 1 m/s.  But from 1983 onwards, with an exact integer value for ''c'' that is quite close to that Bureau measurement, the length of a metre is now fixed with no plus/minus uncertainty.  Furthermore, both the second and the metre match their predecessor definitions for all intents and purposes.
-Similar redefinitions of units of mass and of temperature in terms of universal constants have been agreed to, mass with regard to the Planck constant ''h'', and temperature with regard to the Boltzmann constant ''k''.  The constants ''h'' and ''k'' had previously been measured quantities, complete with uncertainties.  The SI body fixed both of them to exact values, resulting in exact, no-uncertainty values for a kilogram of mass and a kelvin of thermodynamic temperature.  As with the second and the metre, these new definitions match their predecessor definitions for all intents and purposes.
+Similar redefinitions of units of mass and of temperature in terms of universal constants have been agreed to, mass with regard to the Planck constant ''h'', and temperature with regard to the Boltzmann constant ''k''.  The constants ''h'' and ''k'' had previously been measured quantities, complete with uncertainties.  The SI body fixed both of them to exact values, resulting in exact, no-uncertainty values for a kilogram of mass and a kelvin of thermodynamic temperature.  As with the second and the meter, these new definitions match their predecessor definitions for all intents and purposes.
 To expand on this even further, three additional universal constants that were previously measured and that had uncertainty values have been assigned fixed values, resulting in exact definitions of three corresponding units of measurement without affecting their applicability.  Fixing the unit of elementary charge, ''e'', serves to define the unit of electric current, the Ampere.  Fixing the unit of luminous efficacy ''K<sub>cd</sub>'' serves to define the unit of luminous intensity, the candela.  And fixing the Avogadro constant ''N<sub>A</sub>'' serves to define the unit of amount of substance, the mole.