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The 1793 provisional meter
The first public figures for the new standard, together
with the name meter, were provided by the académiciens
in a report by Borda, Lagrange and Monge in spring 1793[32].
A project of decree for a general system of weights and measures,
also containing the cited report, was presented to the National
Assembly in July of the same year[14].
The length of the meter was obtained from the Lacaille-Cassini
measurements, with the simple calculation shown
in the previous subsection.
Its approximated value is 3 pieds 11 lignes 44/100
present Paris measure
[443.44 lignes],
and this approximation is such that its error does not exceed
one tenth of
ligne
[0.2 mm], that is sufficient
for the ordinary use in the society. This unit will
take the name meter.
([14], p. 5)
The so called provisional meter,
with all the resulting units of volume,
weights and surfaces [14,32],
was adopted by decree the 1st August 1793.
Giulio D'Agostini
2005-01-25