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The suspicion that the choice of the meridian based unit of length
was just a veil for other reasons is
not a new one. Many arguments are given for example in the
captivating Alder's The measure of all things[10].
We are inclined to believe in the most noble cause advanced in this
book, i.e. the académiciens were mainly interested in making
a decided step in the understanding of the shape
of our planet. Borda's interest to see his repeating
circle protagonist of a great enterprise seems also a
good reason, but we see it at a second level. (It seems to us
the anonymous' quote ``Sometimes to serve the people one must
resolve to deceive them'', reported in Ref.[10],
is quite appropriate to the case.)
However, and that was the irony of fate, the improved knowledge
of the Earth decreed that the basic premise on which the meridian
mission started was wrong: all meridians are different from
each other, and the different arcs of the same
meridian are unique.42
The definition of the meter had then an intrinsic uncertainty,
such that it would have become soon or later unsuitable for a standard
of length.43
Next: A final reflection
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Previous: About the reticence concerning
Giulio D'Agostini
2005-01-25