Petersson@feddit.org to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish · edit-29 days agoHow long is a meter? (Only weird answers/definitions allowed)message-squaremessage-square53linkfedilinkarrow-up13arrow-down10file-text
arrow-up13arrow-down1message-squareHow long is a meter? (Only weird answers/definitions allowed)Petersson@feddit.org to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish · edit-29 days agomessage-square53linkfedilinkfile-text
minus-squareEinar@lemm.eelinkfedilinkarrow-up0·9 days agoOnly weird answers? The truth itself is weird: The meter is defined as the distance that light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 seconds.
minus-squareVictor@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·9 days agoThe problem is that the meter is originally defined in terms of the size of the earth, which is in no way related to the speed of light.
minus-squareRandomVideos@programming.devlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·9 days agoWasnt it defined using a wrong measurement of the size of the Earth?
minus-squareVictor@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·edit-29 days agoWell yes, but only by a little. It was using ancient measuring techniques which were highly error-prone. Like running from one place to the next and counting the length manually. Shit like that. Still impressively close to the real size!
minus-squareRandomVideos@programming.devlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·9 days agoBut if the people deciding what the meter was at first were allowed to make errors, why werent the people deciding what the new meter was?
minus-squareVictor@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·edit-28 days agoLike what the other person said, you don’t know the extent of your error until you have a more accurate measuring technique. And you don’t just redefine an already-established unit. 😅 Rather, all the things that depend on the meter will be fucked up instead.
minus-squareRandomVideos@programming.devlinkfedilinkarrow-up1·6 days agoBut it would be wrong by only 1% and it would make the speed of light so much more easy to use and remember
minus-squareVictor@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up1·5 days agoYeah but no. An established unit didn’t change. Otherwise all the old literature will depend on history rather than just still be true and valid.
Only weird answers?
The truth itself is weird: The meter is defined as the distance that light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 seconds.
Powers of ten my ass
The problem is that the meter is originally defined in terms of the size of the earth, which is in no way related to the speed of light.
Wasnt it defined using a wrong measurement of the size of the Earth?
Well yes, but only by a little. It was using ancient measuring techniques which were highly error-prone. Like running from one place to the next and counting the length manually. Shit like that. Still impressively close to the real size!
But if the people deciding what the meter was at first were allowed to make errors, why werent the people deciding what the new meter was?
Like what the other person said, you don’t know the extent of your error until you have a more accurate measuring technique.
And you don’t just redefine an already-established unit. 😅 Rather, all the things that depend on the meter will be fucked up instead.
But it would be wrong by only 1% and it would make the speed of light so much more easy to use and remember
Yeah but no. An established unit didn’t change. Otherwise all the old literature will depend on history rather than just still be true and valid.