The kilogram or kilogramme (SI symbol: kg), also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram (IPK), which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water. The avoirdupois (or international) pound, used in both the Imperial system and U.S. customary units, is defined as exactly 0.45359237 kg, making one kilogram approximately equal to 2.2046 avoirdupois pounds.
In everyday usage, the mass of an object given in kilograms is often referred to as its weight, which is the measure of the gravitational force—or heaviness—of an object. Weight given in kilograms is technically the non‑SI unit of measure known as the kilogram-force. The equivalent unit of force in the avoirdupois system of measurement is the pound-force. In strict scientific contexts, forces are typically measured with the SI unit newton.
The kilogram is the only SI base unit with an SI prefix ("kilo", symbol "k") as part of its name. It is also the only SI unit that is still directly defined by an artifact rather than a fundamental physical property that can be reproduced in different laboratories. Four of the seven base units in the SI system are defined relative to the kilogram so its stability is important.
The International Prototype Kilogram is kept in the custody of the International Bureau for Weights and Measures (BIPM) who hold it on behalf of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM). After the International Prototype Kilogram had been found to vary in mass over time, the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) recommended in 2005 that the kilogram be redefined in terms of a fundamental constant of nature. At its 2011 meeting, the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) agreed in principle that the kilogram should be redefined in terms of the Planck constant, but deferred a final decision until its next meeting, scheduled for 2014.
Read more about Kilogram: Etymology and Usage, Nature of Mass, Stability of The International Prototype Kilogram, Importance of The Kilogram, Proposed Future Definitions, SI Multiples, Glossary
Other articles related to "kilogram":
... In rats, high doses of 50-200 milligrams per kilogram of crude ethanolic extract reduced observed inflammation in standard laboratory tests, and 25-100 milligrams per kilogram of the sesquiterpene fraction of the ... at high doses of 75-300 milligrams per kilogram ...
... The price peaked in 1990 at $34 per kilogram when a typical 350 pound fish sold for around $10,000 ... As of 2008, bluefin was selling for $23 a kilogram ... In 2001, a 202-kilogram wild tuna caught in Tsugaru Straight near Omanachi I Aomori Prefecture sold for $173,600, or about $800 a kilogram ...
... backup replica of the international prototype kilogram (IPK) ... A secondary kilogram mass standard used as a stand-in for the primary standard during routine calibrations ... IPK Abbreviation of “international prototype kilogram”, the mass artifact in France internationally recognized as having the defining mass of precisely one kilogram ...
... The kilogram or kilogramme (symbol kg) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (known also by its French-language initials “SI”) ... The kilogram is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water ...