Comment by BrandoElFollito
4 days ago
I love these comments on HN.
Now if the (otherwise very kind) guy in charge of the Bureau international des poids et mesures at Sèvres who did not let me have a look at the refrerence for the kilogram and meter could change his mind, I would appreciate. For a physicist this is kinda like a cathedral.
If you ever are in Paris, I can't recommend the Musee des Arts et Metiers enough. I believe they have the several reference platinum kilograms that are now out of spec. [1] they also have the original actual Foucault pendulum that was used to demonstrate Earth's rotation. (and a replica doing a live demo, of course)
They have so many incredible artifacts (for weights and measures but also so much more: engineering, physics, civil engineering, machining,...)
[1]: https://collections.arts-et-metiers.net?id=13404-0001-
Ahhh, thank you for the tip. I live in Versailles and usually go to museums for art, but this would be wonderful as well.
The Musée de Sèvres (or Bureau des Mesures as it is called now) has the original kilogramme and meter iridium reference, hidden in the basement ;( So if the director has a change of heart, I am all in!