[BrandoElFollito]

I love these comments on HN.

Now if the (otherwise very kind) guy in charge of the Bureau international des poids et mesures at Sèvres who did not let me have a look at the refrerence for the kilogram and meter could change his mind, I would appreciate. For a physicist this is kinda like a cathedral.

[rx_tx]

If you ever are in Paris, I can't recommend the Musee des Arts et Metiers enough. I believe they have the several reference platinum kilograms that are now out of spec. [1] they also have the original actual Foucault pendulum that was used to demonstrate Earth's rotation. (and a replica doing a live demo, of course)

They have so many incredible artifacts (for weights and measures but also so much more: engineering, physics, civil engineering, machining,...)

[1]: https://collections.arts-et-metiers.net?id=13404-0001-

[BrandoElFollito]

I don't know if you will be reading this, but I am just back from that museum. Thank you very much for the information.

I spent 4 hours to there and was surprised to see so many tourists, this is not a place I expected people visiting Paris to go to. There were no crowds though.

The top part is really great, you get to see how much people did with so little. So is the chemistry part.

I found the steel replica of the kilogramme and the meter, and of course the Foucault pendulum (in the neighboring refurbished church).

This is truly an interesting museum, on part with the museum of discoveries (musée de la découverte) which is unfortunately close now for a few years for renovations (or at lest was recently planned to be closed). Much better than La Vilette.

So thank you again!

[BrandoElFollito]

Ahhh, thank you for the tip. I live in Versailles and usually go to museums for art, but this would be wonderful as well.

The Musée de Sèvres (or Bureau des Mesures as it is called now) has the original kilogramme and meter iridium reference, hidden in the basement ;( So if the director has a change of heart, I am all in!