#bipm

Due to concerns of the rapid growth of total data storage exceeding 1 yottabyte in the 2030s, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) proposed to add two more prefixes to the metric system beyond Yotta- (10^24); Ronna- and Quecca- would be prefixes for 10^27 and 10^30, respectively. – WTF Fun Facts

The kilogram is the last remaining measurement to be defined by a physical object: a cylinder of platinum and iridium held in a vault under three glass bell jars at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in the suburbs of Paris. The international prototype, created in the 1880s and known familiarly as “Le Grand K,” is the standard by which all other kilograms are measured.

But for all the vault-like protections, Le Grand K is vulnerable.

“The big joke is, if someone were to sneeze on the kilogram, there are about 10 fundamental constants that would change, because they’re all tied to its value,” says Jonathan Ellis, an assistant professor of optics and mechanical engineering and a specialist in metrology, or the study of measurements.