Comments on: How British metallurgists made the first international kilograms and metres http://metricviews.org.uk/2007/06/british_cast_kilogram/ Commentary on the measurement muddle in the UK Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:51:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Han Maenen http://metricviews.org.uk/2007/06/british_cast_kilogram/comment-page-1/#comment-1731 Han Maenen Sat, 09 Jun 2007 17:55:37 +0000 http://www.metricviews.org.uk/2007/06/07/british_cast_kilogram/#comment-1731 If UKMA and other metric supporters can break this ignorance of the public about the British involvement in building the metric system, then this resistance should collapse. The BWMA knows about it, but they don't care, and of course they do not want the public to know about it. Some time ago I challenged then about it. They also do not care that Britain is a member of the BIPM. I am proud about the Dutch involvment in building the metric system. The French government organized an international congress as early as 1798/99 to verify the work that had been done. The Dutch scientist Jean Henry van Swinden was charged with leading the group that verified the work done on the unit of length by Delambre and Mechain, the metre. Van Swinden was then appointed rapporteur of the congress. In 1799, on July 4, on him fell the honour to launch the metric system during a public session of the Institut des Arts et Metiers. He has been called 'the godfather of the metre'. If UKMA and other metric supporters can break this ignorance of the public about the British involvement in building the metric system, then this resistance should collapse. The BWMA knows about it, but they don’t care, and of course they do not want the public to know about it. Some time ago I challenged then about it. They also do not care that Britain is a member of the BIPM.
I am proud about the Dutch involvment in building the metric system. The French government organized an international congress as early as 1798/99 to verify the work that had been done. The Dutch scientist Jean Henry van Swinden was charged with leading the group that verified the work done on the unit of length by Delambre and Mechain, the metre. Van Swinden was then appointed rapporteur of the congress. In 1799, on July 4, on him fell the honour to launch the metric system during a public session of the Institut des Arts et Metiers. He has been called ‘the godfather of the metre’.

]]> By: Daniel Jackson http://metricviews.org.uk/2007/06/british_cast_kilogram/comment-page-1/#comment-1728 Daniel Jackson Sat, 09 Jun 2007 13:44:19 +0000 http://www.metricviews.org.uk/2007/06/07/british_cast_kilogram/#comment-1728 Quote: "Having learned more about the history of the metric or international system of units I am dismayed that most British people are unaware of the substantial contribution our scientists and metallurgists have made. In particular how 19th Century metallurgists in London helped make the first international kilograms and metres." This should not be a surprise. When one considers that all countries are at least two tier. In the one tier, you have the highly educated elite who make up say less then 5 % of the population. The rest are usually the lower class with limited and varying knowledge on anything with the vast majority being poorly educated. So it isn't surprising if the masses don't make the connection. Support for metrication comes from the better educated and the elite. The poor and poorly educated would support FFU (Fred Flintstone Units). Those among the better educated who support FFU do so because they thrive on the ignorance of the poorly educated. This is the way it has always been and always will be. This is why metrication must be done by decrees, as the uneducated can't be convinced it is in their favour to metricate. This is why the elite in most countries never left metrication to the masses to decide. They knew if they did, they would have a mess that hurts everyone, especially the elite. Quote:

“Having learned more about the history of the metric or international system of units I am dismayed that most British people are unaware of the substantial contribution our scientists and metallurgists have made. In particular how 19th Century metallurgists in London helped make the first international kilograms and metres.”

This should not be a surprise. When one considers that all countries are at least two tier. In the one tier, you have the highly educated elite who make up say less then 5 % of the population. The rest are usually the lower class with limited and varying knowledge on anything with the vast majority being poorly educated. So it isn’t surprising if the masses don’t make the connection.

Support for metrication comes from the better educated and the elite. The poor and poorly educated would support FFU (Fred Flintstone Units). Those among the better educated who support FFU do so because they thrive on the ignorance of the poorly educated.

This is the way it has always been and always will be. This is why metrication must be done by decrees, as the uneducated can’t be convinced it is in their favour to metricate. This is why the elite in most countries never left metrication to the masses to decide. They knew if they did, they would have a mess that hurts everyone, especially the elite.

]]> By: Daniel Jackson http://metricviews.org.uk/2007/06/british_cast_kilogram/comment-page-1/#comment-1726 Daniel Jackson Sat, 09 Jun 2007 13:28:56 +0000 http://www.metricviews.org.uk/2007/06/07/british_cast_kilogram/#comment-1726 Tesla was not Croatian. He was Serbian. The Serbs would not be happy if he is referred to as a Croat. Tesla was born to a Serbian family in the village of Smiljan near Gospić, in the Lika region of the Croatian Krajina in Military Frontier (part of the Austrian (Hapsburg) Empire), in the present-day Croatia. Actually this region of present day Croatia was Serbian populated until the Serbs were driven out in the early 1990s. He studied engineering in German speaking schools (the Austrian Polytechnic in Graz (1875)) and the Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague, which he attended for the summer term of 1880. He worked in what is today Maribor (Slovenia), then Marburg an der Drau (Steiermark) in Austria. He worked in Hungary, France and then the US. Thus his life was formed from Serbian, German, Hungarian, French and American influences. He may be considered either European or International. More info on him can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla <em>Editor's note:  An earlier comment has been amended to reflect Tesla's place of birth rather than his ethnic origin. </em> Tesla was not Croatian. He was Serbian. The Serbs would not be happy if he is referred to as a Croat.

Tesla was born to a Serbian family in the village of Smiljan near Gospić, in the Lika region of the Croatian Krajina in Military Frontier (part of the Austrian (Hapsburg) Empire), in the present-day Croatia. Actually this region of present day Croatia was Serbian populated until the Serbs were driven out in the early 1990s.

He studied engineering in German speaking schools (the Austrian Polytechnic in Graz (1875)) and the Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague, which he attended for the summer term of 1880.

He worked in what is today Maribor (Slovenia), then Marburg an der Drau (Steiermark) in Austria. He worked in Hungary, France and then the US.

Thus his life was formed from Serbian, German, Hungarian, French and American influences. He may be considered either European or International.

More info on him can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla

Editor’s note:  An earlier comment has been amended to reflect Tesla’s place of birth rather than his ethnic origin. 

]]> By: Martin Vlietstra http://metricviews.org.uk/2007/06/british_cast_kilogram/comment-page-1/#comment-1711 Martin Vlietstra Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:04:40 +0000 http://www.metricviews.org.uk/2007/06/07/british_cast_kilogram/#comment-1711 Here is a list of the country of birth (present day boundaries) of the nineteen scientists and engineers who had units of measure named after them: United Kingdom (6) – Faraday, Gray, Joule, Kelvin, Newton, Watt France (4) - Ampere, Becquerel, Coulomb, Pascal Germany (4) - Hertz, Ohm, Siemens, Weber Sweden (2) - Celsius, Sievert Croatia (1) – Tesla Italy (1) – Volta United States (1) - Henry <em>Editor's note: At the request of its author, this comment has been edited  to reflect Tesla's place of birth (rather than his ethnic origin) in present day Croatia </em> Here is a list of the country of birth (present day boundaries) of the nineteen scientists and engineers who had units of measure named after them:

United Kingdom (6) – Faraday, Gray, Joule, Kelvin, Newton, Watt

France (4) – Ampere, Becquerel, Coulomb, Pascal

Germany (4) – Hertz, Ohm, Siemens, Weber

Sweden (2) – Celsius, Sievert

Croatia (1) – Tesla

Italy (1) – Volta

United States (1) – Henry

Editor’s note: At the request of its author, this comment has been edited  to reflect Tesla’s place of birth (rather than his ethnic origin) in present day Croatia 

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