From Artefacts to Atoms: The BIPM and the Search for Ultimate Measurement Standards

The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) is currently implementing the greatest change ever in the world's system of weights and measures — it is redefining the kilogram, the final artefact standard, and reorganizing the system of international units. This book tells the inside story of what led to these changes, from the events surrounding the founding of the BIPM in 1875 — a landmark in the history of international cooperation — to the present. It traces not only the evolutio…