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In the 18th century it was felt that a standard unit of length was needed. The French Academy of Sciences decided in 1791 that the meter would be defined by the dimensions of the planet earth.
The metre would be a unit of length such that Earth's meridian line (a line linking the equator with the north pole) was equal to ten million meters. Over the following years measurements of the meridian line that passes through Paris were attempted, so that a standard meter could be cast in metal.
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CoachIn 1791, the standard meter was defined as 1/10,000,000 of the distance from the equator to the North Pole along a meridian passing through Paris. This definition was based on the measurements made by French astronomers Delambre and Méchain during the survey of the French meridian.
The standard meter (metre) was not defined in 1719. It was not until the 1790's that it was set as a standard. It was proposed that the metre would be defined as one ten millionth the distance from the earth's north pole to the equator as measured along a meridian. There is a good explanation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meter
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Who invented the meter stick?
To measure the length, height, or width of something that has physical dimensions. Frequently the meter stick has a length of 1m. Gabriel Mouton, the vicar of St. Paul's Church in Lyon, France, is considered by many as the "founding father" of the metric system. It was originally made of titanium.
What country calculated the meter?
France calculated the meter. The meter was first defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole, through Paris. This definition was adopted by the French Academy of Sciences in 1791.
What is the basis of a kilometer?
The world official standard of length is the Metre. (In USA they spell it - Meter. They like to be different to the rest of the world.) A French scientist Charles Marie de La Condamine, went on an expedition and measured the distance from the Equator to the North Pole. This distance was multiplied by 4 to assess the perimeter of a line of Longitude around the Earth. This distance was divided by 10 Million and given the name Metre (not meter) The French government used this length as a standard, but actually Condamines measurements were found about 50 years later, to be inaccurate by an amount of 1/5th of a millimetre. (believe it or not) In 1791 on 30th March . The French Government made a brass bar in 1795 , having a cross sectional shape of an X . Since 1795 there have been very minor changes to the 'Metre Bar' but they are only very minor changes. The name Kilometre was adopted as being 1000 Metre, and used for measuring large lengths, and the name Millimetre , for small lengths ( 1Metre = 1000 millimetre).
Who discovered titanium and when it was discovered?
Titanium was first discovered in 1791 by William Gregor, an English pastor, who found a reddish brown calx he couldn't recognize. Later in 1795, Martin Heinrich Klaproth, an Austrian chemist, identified titanium as a new element.
When did people began to use the metric system?
It was adopted in France in 1791.
