Ever wondered what goes on behind the gates of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL)?
To mark World Metrology Day (the 1875 treaty that introduced the Metre rule convention which lead in turn to the metric system), NPL’s Martyn Sene says World Metrology day is the chance to “talk to people for one day about the things we do for the other 364 days of the year”.
This BBC article lists some examples of the more unusual measuring tasks they have undertaken over the years including weighing Concorde, quantifying biscuit crunchiness and finding out how many plastic balls fit inside a Smart Car. 3,441 apparently.
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is one of the UK’s leading science and research facilities – providing worldwide standards for science and technology.
In 1900, Bushy House was selected as the site for NPL and since then the campus has provided standards for excellence in science and accurate measurement. It now provides functions for the government-funded National Measurement System as well as various commercial services and measuring projects.
Other work includes advanced medical treatments, environmental monitoring and health and safety by analysing and developing new materials, techniques and technologies.
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