2 ms·
This is neat, but still something if a coincidence. It appears the first definition of a metre is in fact around 1/4e10 the circumference of Earth, and the fur
by rich_sasha 2y ago
This is neat, but still something if a coincidence.
It appears the first definition of a metre is in fact around 1/4e10 the circumference of Earth, and the further coincidence is that a 1m mathematical pendulum has a period of almost exactly 2 seconds.
So there's still a neat relationship between mass/radius of Earth, its diurnal rotation period and the Babylonian division of it into 86,400 seconds.
- owisd 2y agoAccording to the article the 1/4e10 circumference definition came second
- rich_sasha 2y agoWikipedia says the Earth circumference definition comes from around Copernican times. Also my reading of TFA is that the pendulum definition was in fact a redefinition that didn't catch on.
- Ekaros 2y agoI wonder how many numbers they checked until they arrived on this one. As to me it seems picked as something close enough for committee work.