BIPM

Weights and Measures in France (French acronym BIPM).

PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

While the change seems simple enough, it has major implications for technology, namely GPS systems that rely on precise timing to coordinate locations, BIPM discussed in a more recent release.

World Time Changing? Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) May Eliminate "Leap Seconds" In 2012 2011

According to a press release from BIPM, government representatives at the World Radio Conference of the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva, Switzerland will decide whether or not these adjustments are to continue when they convene in January 2012.

World Time Changing? Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) May Eliminate "Leap Seconds" In 2012 2011

But what scientists at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, France BIPM have been considering eliminating next month could fundamentally change the way we tell time, and most people don't even know it exists.

World Time Changing? Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) May Eliminate "Leap Seconds" In 2012 2011

Currently, BIPM calculates UTC based on an average of measurements from 400 atomic clocks around the world and UTC never differs from the time defined by the rotation of the Earth UT1 by more than .9 seconds due to "leap seconds."

World Time Changing? Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) May Eliminate "Leap Seconds" In 2012 2011

The SI is maintained by a small agency in Paris, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM, for Bureau International des Poids et Mesures), and it is updated every few years by an international conference, the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM, for Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures), attended by representatives of all the industrial countries and international scientific and engineering organizations.

International System of Units (SI) 2008

After the revision of the Meter Convention by the 6th CGPM in 1921, which extended the scope and responsibilities of the BIPM to other fields in physics, and the subsequent creation of the CCE (now CCEM) by the 7th CGPM in 1927, the Giorgi proposal was thoroughly discussed by the IEC and the IUPAP and other international organizations.

International System of Units (SI) 2008

UTC is calculated by the Bureau International des Poids et Measures (BIPM) in Sevres, France.

Notes and Definitions 2008

Following an international inquiry by the BIPM, which began in 1948, the 10th CGPM, in 1954, approved the introduction of the ampere, the kelvin and the candela as base units, respectively, for electric current, thermodynamic temperature and luminous intensity.

International System of Units (SI) 2008

Following are the official definitions of the seven base units, as given by BIPM.

International System of Units (SI) 2008