General principles for the definition of the base units in the SI

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to provide general principles that should guide any future discussions regarding the redefinition of the SI base units. The suggestion is to use the envisaged redefinition of the unit of mass, the kilogram, as an opportunity to generally check the compliance of all base units with modern demands and the needs of economy, science and society. In order to meet these requirements it is proposed principally to separate the 'carrier' of the definition and the 'carriers' of the realization of the SI units. By providing an example of a revised SI it is shown that these considerations could add value to the International System of Units.