A couple of days ago, I went to the Science Metrology Center with some other schoolmates. We learnt more about SI units there, how they are calculated and recorded. For certain masses, there is a "ideal" mesurement for it, and it is in the form of a weight. These weights are the so called "correct" measurements for mass, and are kept in some laboratory in France. They were originally used for comparison with other masses on a beam balance. Many countries in the world have a replica of that weight.
Also, I also saw how they measure the speed of light. There would be a laser generated, and there are also many mirrors in the machine too, reflecting the light into a hole of some sort. The machine would then digest the information, and then churn out the results.
For time, they use a caesium atomic clock that almost occupies a whole room! Accordding to the personnel, the clock is very accurate and only loses asecond in about a million years!! I do not think that any of our watches will be able to reach such an accuracy.
During the tour, we also saw a very interesting room, the comdom test lab. According to the personnel there, an electrical current is passed through the comdom, and if the current flows smoothly through the comdom, it shows that the comdom has passeed. Honestly, I do not know how a current flowing through a comdom, shows that it is qualified for use.
In all, I think that this trip to the Science Metrology Center has been very meaningful. I have learnt more about the SI units and how to measure them. I am sure that this trip has given me a better understanding of the SI units and this will definitely be helpful for me to answer questions related to SI units. I feel that the school should not only allow a small group of students to go, but possibly let more students go, in different batchees maybe. I think that it has been a great loss for those who have not went there.
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