A more perfect unit: The New Mole | EXPERIMENTALS: Moles (part 2)

THE MOLE—as in 6.02214076×10^23, the unit in chemistry used to count really really tiny stuff like atoms and molecules. Well, THE MOLE changed (it's not simply 6.022x10^23 anymore). And while you may not have noticed it, a fundamental shift in the way we measure things—not just on Earth, but throughout space and time—took place when the new mole was born. To show you how, we'll count atoms inside one of the world's most perfectly round spheres at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) outside of Washington, D.C. SUBSCRIBE! for more Popular Science on YouTube ►► http://pops.ci/yt-sub Maybe you’ve heard of NIST—they do stuff like keep the official time for our country with their atomic clock. Which, when you think about it, is a pretty awesome thing. Basically, NIST is our country’s check and balance on, well, everything. From time to the dosage of a medication to what a nickel is made of. They also have the 130-year-old national prototype of the kilogram, known as K20. That kilogram and the international prototype it’s based on in France, Le Grand K, is central to the making of the new mole. Well, that and one of the most perfectly round objects in the world, a one kilogram sphere of silicon. And counting the atoms inside it is where our story starts. -- Episode - Moles (part two) “ A More Perfect Unit: The New Mole ” Video by : Tom McNamara Narrator : Eleanor Cummins Animation : Ben Gabelman Animation : Jason Drakeford Additional camera : Erin Chapman Online Director : Amy Schellenbaum Editor-in-Chief : Joe Brown MEDIA Internet Archive, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Pond5, Wikimedia Commons SPECIAL THANKS Alison Gillespie (NIST), Dr. Savelas Rabb (NIST), Dr. Stephan Schlamminger (NIST), Dr. Bob Vocke (NIST); the Kibble Balance, K20, the mass spectrometer, the silicon sphere * * * Cameras: Canon EOS C100 - https://amzn.to/2M6RVej Canon EOS 5D Mark III - https://amzn.to/2WpqRuC Additional equipment: Canon EF50mm Lens - https://amzn.to/2VZHdKY Canon Zoom Lens EF24-105mm - https://amzn.to/2HALQ5F Sachtler Ace XL Tripod System - https://amzn.to/30JxjMs Sennheiser EW100ENG G3 Camera Wireless Mic Kit - https://amzn.to/30GRXN0 Litepanels Astra E 1x1 Daylight LED Panel - https://amzn.to/2K0ptIk Lowepro Magnum 650 AW Shoulder Bag - https://amzn.to/2Wg8DMf The North Face Base Camp Duffel - https://amzn.to/2wjQbUe -- GET MORE POPULAR SCIENCE https://www.popsci.com E-mail newsletter: http://pops.ci/enews Facebook: https://ift.tt/1mDk8YO Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/popsci Instagram: https://ift.tt/2ieE7iU Flipboard: https://ift.tt/2ewfjfr Podcasts: https://ift.tt/2RREuxX #PopularScience #PopSci #science #math #mole #moleunit #chemistry #internationalsystemofunits #kilogram #newmole #newkilogram #moleday #explainer #sciencevideos #physics #SI #metricsystem #history #space #time #avogadro #planckconstant #avogadroconstant #highschoolchemistry #6.022x10^23 #6.022,6.02214076×10^23 #6.02214076 #Experimentals #NationalInstituteofStandardsandTechnology #nist #measurement #kibblebalance #siliconsphere #silicon #education #curiosity #universe