What is the purpose of the BIPM?

Answer 1

BIPM stands for the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures and it is located outside Paris, France. From the BIPM web site (www.bipm.org): "The task of the BIPM is to ensure world-wide uniformity of measurements and their traceability to the International System of Units (SI).

* It does this with the authority of the Convention of the Metre, a diplomatic treaty between fifty-two nations, and it operates through a series of Consultative Committees, whose members are the national metrology laboratories of the Member States of the Convention, and through its own laboratory work.

* The BIPM carries out measurement-related research. It takes part in, and organizes, international comparisons of national measurement standards, and it carries out calibrations for Member States." Most standards work has been in the traditional areas of electrical, mechanical, and dimensional units (voltage, current, pressure, mass, length, frequency, time, etc.). However, there currently a lot of activity in the area of chemical standards and biological standards. These standards are usually developed as Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) that are sold by the national metrology institutes (NMIs). In the United States, the NMI is the National Institute of Standards and Technology, located in Gaithersburg, MD. It is part of the Dept. of Commerce. Other world NMIs include the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in England, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Germany, and the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ). Richard Pettit; randepettit@comcast.net; Physicist (Retired)

Answer 2

The purpose of the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) is to promote and maintain international standards for units of measurement. It is responsible for coordinating the worldwide uniformity of these standards to ensure consistency and accuracy in measurements across different countries and regions.