The fundamental constants that govern the laws of nature are being determined with increasing accuracy. A new paper outlines the proceedings from this year's Workshop on the Determination of the ...

The redefinition of several physical base units planned for 2018 requires precise knowledge of the values of certain fundamental physical constants. Scientists are working hard to meet the deadlines ...

As cheat sheets go, it is a long one. Every four years, a task force of the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA), headquartered in Paris, releases a short-hand description of the ...

Constants are supposed to be, well, constant. In physics there are a number of fundamental constants, such as the speed of light, Planck's constant, and the charge of an electron that are essential to ...

It doesn’t happen too often, but after a vote that took place earlier today near Paris, science textbooks really will have to be rewritten. At the Congress Chamber in the Palace of Versailles, ...

Nick van Remortel demystifies natural unit systems — and advises what to do when you see a mass expressed in GeV. Several unit systems for describing the natural world exist. The International System ...

If scientists had sacred objects, this would be one of them: a single, closely guarded 137-year-old cylinder of metal, housed in a vault outside of Paris. It is a prototype that precisely defines a ...

Measurements in physics are funny things. You’d hope that attempts to quantify some of the fundamental properties of the Universe would follow a simple pattern ...

Mathematical constants are built from the fabric of mathematics and can be determined a priori: Pi is based on the shape of a circle and can be calculated from numerous equations, e is from the growth ...

It must be a baker's worst nightmare: a world where a kilo ain't a kilo anymore. Next May 20, the universal standard for a kilogram gets its first upgrade in 130 years. There'll be screams a la ...