Kibble balance in the context of Planck constant

The kilogram (also spelled kilogramme) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand grams. It has the unit symbol kg. The word "kilogram" is formed from the combination of the metric prefix kilo- (meaning one thousand) and gram; it is commonly shortened to "kilo" (plural "kilos").

The kilogram is an SI base unit, defined ultimately in terms of three defining constants of the SI, namely a specific transition frequency of the caesium-133 atom, the speed of light, and the Planck constant. A properly equipped metrology laboratory can calibrate a mass measurement instrument such as a Kibble balance as a primary standard for the kilogram mass.

Metrology is the scientific study of measurement. It establishes a common understanding of units, crucial in linking human activities. Modern metrology has its roots in the French Revolution's political motivation to standardise units in France when a length standard taken from a natural source was proposed. This led to the creation of the decimal-based metric system in 1795, establishing a set of standards for other types of measurements. Several other countries adopted the metric system between 1795 and 1875; to ensure conformity between the countries, the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) was established by the Metre Convention. This has evolved into the International System of Units (SI) as a result of a resolution at the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1960.

Metrology is divided into three basic overlapping activities:

Bryan Peter Kibble (20 October 1938 – 28 April 2016) was a British physicist and a pioneering metrologist. He was the inventor of the Kibble balance, an improved version of the current balance, developed for the realisation of the S.I. unit of mass, the kilogram.