All Topics  
International Bureau of Weights and Measures

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

International Bureau of Weights and Measures
 
 
  Topics International Bureau of Weights and Measures Topic Home

The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (Bureau international des poids et mesures, in French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
), is an international standards organization
Standards organization

A standards organization, standards body, standards development organization or SDO is any entity whose primary activities are developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpreting, or otherwise maintaining standards that address the interests of a wide base of users outside the standards develo...
, one of three such organizations established to maintain the International System of Units
International System of Units

The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system devised around the convenience of the number ten....
 (SI) under the terms of the Metre Convention (Convention du Mètre). The organization is usually referred to by its French abbreviation, BIPM.

The other organisations which maintain the SI system are the General Conference on Weights and Measures
General Conference on Weights and Measures

The General Conference on Weights and Measures is the English name of the Conf?rence g?n?rale des poids et mesures . It is one of the three organizations established to maintain the International System of Units under the terms of the Convention du M?tre of 1875....
 (CGPM, Conférence générale des poids et mesures) and the International Committee for Weights and Measures
International Committee for Weights and Measures

The International Committee for Weights and Measures is the English name of the Comit? international des poids et mesures . It consists of eighteen persons from Member States of the Metre Convention ....
 (CIPM, Comité international des poids et mesures).

History
The BIPM is based at the Pavillon de Breteuil
Pavillon de Breteuil

Pavillon de Breteuil is a building located in S?vres, France near Paris. It was inaugurated by Louis XIV of France in 1672. It is in the park of the former royal Ch?teau de Saint-Cloud, which was destroyed in 1870....
 in Sèvres
Sèvres

S?vres is a Communes of France in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 9.9 km from the Kilometre Zero.The town is known for its porcelain manufacture, the Manufacture nationale de S?vres, making the famous S?vres porcelain, as well as being the location of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures,...
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, where it enjoys extraterritorial
Extraterritoriality

Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Extraterritoriality can also be applied to physical places, such as embassy, consulates, or military bases of foreign countries, or offices of the United Nations....
 status.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'International Bureau of Weights and Measures'
Start a new discussion about 'International Bureau of Weights and Measures'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (Bureau international des poids et mesures, in French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
), is an international standards organization
Standards organization

A standards organization, standards body, standards development organization or SDO is any entity whose primary activities are developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpreting, or otherwise maintaining standards that address the interests of a wide base of users outside the standards develo...
, one of three such organizations established to maintain the International System of Units
International System of Units

The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system devised around the convenience of the number ten....
 (SI) under the terms of the Metre Convention (Convention du Mètre). The organization is usually referred to by its French abbreviation, BIPM.

The other organisations which maintain the SI system are the General Conference on Weights and Measures
General Conference on Weights and Measures

The General Conference on Weights and Measures is the English name of the Conf?rence g?n?rale des poids et mesures . It is one of the three organizations established to maintain the International System of Units under the terms of the Convention du M?tre of 1875....
 (CGPM, Conférence générale des poids et mesures) and the International Committee for Weights and Measures
International Committee for Weights and Measures

The International Committee for Weights and Measures is the English name of the Comit? international des poids et mesures . It consists of eighteen persons from Member States of the Metre Convention ....
 (CIPM, Comité international des poids et mesures).

History


The BIPM is based at the Pavillon de Breteuil
Pavillon de Breteuil

Pavillon de Breteuil is a building located in S?vres, France near Paris. It was inaugurated by Louis XIV of France in 1672. It is in the park of the former royal Ch?teau de Saint-Cloud, which was destroyed in 1870....
 in Sèvres
Sèvres

S?vres is a Communes of France in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 9.9 km from the Kilometre Zero.The town is known for its porcelain manufacture, the Manufacture nationale de S?vres, making the famous S?vres porcelain, as well as being the location of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures,...
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, where it enjoys extraterritorial
Extraterritoriality

Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Extraterritoriality can also be applied to physical places, such as embassy, consulates, or military bases of foreign countries, or offices of the United Nations....
 status. As such, it escaped German occupation during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
.

Function


The BIPM helps to ensure uniformity of SI weights and measures around the world. It does this with the authority of the Metre Convention, a diplomatic treaty
Treaty

A Treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. A Treaty may also be known as: agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, etc....
 between fifty-one nations , and it operates through a series of Consultative Committees, whose members are the national metrology
Metrology

Metrology is the science of measurement. Metrology includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement....
 laboratories of the Member States of the Convention, and through its own laboratory work.

The BIPM carries out measurement-related research. It takes part in, and organises, international comparisons of national measurement standards, and it carries out calibrations for member states.

The BIPM has an important role in maintaining accurate worldwide time of day. It combines, analyzes, and averages the official atomic time standards of member nations around the world to create a single, official Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time

Coordinated Universal Time is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation....
 (UTC).

See also


  • Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements
    Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements

    The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements or IRMM, located in Geel, Belgium, is one of the seven institutes of the Joint Research Centre , a Directorate-General of the European Commission ....
     (IRMM)
  • International System of Units
    International System of Units

    The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system devised around the convenience of the number ten....
     (SI)
  • International Organization for Standardization
    International Organization for Standardization

    The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO , is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations....
     (ISO)
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology
    National Institute of Standards and Technology

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce....
     (NIST)
  • Coordinated Universal Time
    Coordinated Universal Time

    Coordinated Universal Time is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation....


External links