Michael Glaesser at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt with Kilogram 52. In June 22, 1799 the meter and the kilogram were realized as physical objects; today these are kept secure at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, located in a Paris subrurb.

This forthcoming documentary series traces the fascinating history of the kilogram, the redefinition, and features interviews with the guardians of the prototypes. Scientists around the world chase the realization of a 200-year-old challenge: to create a mass standard that will never change with time, or space.

In the image: Michael Glaesser at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt with Kilogram 52. In June 22, 1799 the meter and the kilogram were realized as physical objects; today these are kept secure at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, located in a Paris subrurb. Typically the national kilograms are stored under multiple glass lids; a speck of dust would change a kilogram's weight a tiny bit, but still too much for experiments.

Posts and Preview clips from Episodes

The First Last Judgment

The most famous scene of weighing from antiquity is "The Weighing of the Heart" from the Book of the Dead. (I think of it as the First Last Judgment.) 0:53 min
The scene depicts the test to determine if the owner is worthy of pleasant eternal life. Features John H. Taylor, curator at the British Museum.

Cyphering Books

Are you smarter than a Colonial teenager? 1:52 min
Several years ago I wondered, How could the kilogram redefinition develop more quantum thinking in schoolkids around the world? I can't predict the future, but I found a precedent where kids learn what is taught for commerce and for science, from 200 years ago.

Precision vs Accuracy

Is there a difference between these words? 1:40 min
This short clip shows a few people telling us their definitions for these words. I was surprised by the varied answers.

Hilbert's Man on the Street

Hilbert argued that your work as a scientist isn't complete until the general public can understand your explanation. 2:34 min
I wonder if the rule applies to our quantum-based defintions of our units.

A Rock is a Clock

"A Rock is a Clock" introduces the quantum aspect of our weights and measures. 0:53 min
Quantum physics is counterintuitive and new research and experiences only reveal more puzzling results.
A Vélib' station near the Petit Palais

Losing weight: Science and tourism in the City of Light

After staying in Paris for several months, I found myself doing what I normally do in Champaign-Urbana: riding a bike and working on a science documentary. The two activities are related, but not in a way I'd imagined.

Status of the film September 2021: I've decide to turn the "Kilofilm" into a series. There are too many interesting people, ideas, and aspects of the kilogram to fit into one film.

Each episode focuses on one definition (or conception) of the kilogram over time. For example, the first episode looks at how the International Prototype of the Kilogram was developed and why; that is, the Kilogram of 1875-2018. The second episode looks at the kilogram in the chain of comparisons in today's commerce. The third episode presents the kilogram as a reform of the French Revolution. You get the idea.

I hope that you find the history and redefinition of the kilogram as fascinating as I do.

Stop-motion animation of Germany prototype K22, made in 1870. Michael Gläßer told the story that the kilogram was moved for safety during World War II, and was caught in a bomb explosion and damaged.

About the Director: Amy Young graduated from CalArts with an MFA in Film Directing. She began work on the The State of the Unit as part of an documentary film exchange program at La Fémis in Paris, France.

In the image: stop-motion animation of Germany prototype K22, made in 1870. Michael Gläßer told the story that the kilogram was moved for safety during World War II, and was caught in a bomb explosion and damaged.