Technikatörténeti szemle 10. (1978)

A MÉRÉS ÉS A MÉRTÉKEK AZ EMBER MŰVELŐDÉSÉBEN című konferencián Budapesten, 1976. április 27–30-án elhangzott előadások II. - Zupkor, R. E.: A méterrendszer az Egyesült Államokban

England's most prominent metrological reformer of that era, Talleyrand stressed the importance of both nations cooperating for the promotion of a system that would be useful for all mankind. Similar language was used in communications with the United States. Joint collaboration by the American, British, and French governments at this point in time could have avoided all of the metrological problems which the United States and the United Kingdom have faced in the past and are experiencing at the moment. 9 Rejecting the length of the second's pendulum because it involved time as a non-linear element and criticizing as countrary to decimalization the use of the traditional degrees and minutes in the earlier determination of the length of a quadrant of the terrestrial equator, the French decided in favor of the quadrant of the earth's meridian, the ten-millionth-part to be the new linear standard—the meter. Since it was too difficult to measure a quarter of the entire meridian, they limited themselves to an arc extending between Dunkirk, France and Mont-Jouy, near Barcelona, Spain. The latter sites were at the extremities of this arc; were at sea level; and were to the north and south of the 45 th parallel. 10 As printed in 1821, the main body of the Adams' report included an extensive analysis of the evolution of weights and measures in both England and France; a synopsis of weights and measures legislation in the United States; and his views on the advisability of adoption of the metric system. 11 The most significant events were the Mendenhall Order of 1893 and the Hurley Bill of 1896. The former decreed that the Office of Weights and Measures in the future would regard the international prototype meter and kilogram as fundamental standards in accordance with the Metric System Act of 1866. This meant that all weights and measures standards would be defined in terms of the metric system. This is still true today. The Hurley Bill, which never passed, requested all government departments to use only metric weights and measures in transacting official business with the date of 1899 as the transition date for the entire country. 12 In 1960 the name of the system was changed officially to the International System of Units (Systeme International oV Unites) which is abbreviated as SI in all languages.