Kilogram

A Kilogram is a unit of measurement of mass.

• It is a standard Imperial metric.
• It is equal to 1,000 grams.

Description (Specifications)

A kilogram is a frequently used unit of measurement of mass for equipment and robotic design.

• The standard abbreviation is kg.

MKS and CGS Units

The MKS system of units is a physical system of measurement based on the meter as the unit of length, the kilogram as the unit of mass, and the second as the unit of time. Smaller scale measurements may utilize the CGS system, based on the centimeter as the unit of length, the gram as the unit of mass, and the second as the unit of time. The system has broad applications within science, engineering and commerce.

Term Usage Example

A firearm such as a rifle masses a few kilograms.

While in colloquial speech one often hears it said that an object "weighs" a few kilograms, the usage is technically incorrect as an object's weight will vary based on the local gravitational field strength in which it is found, whereas its mass is a constant, independent of gravity. Kilograms are a measure of mass, not weight; units of weight are a measurement of force.

History & Background (Dossier)

The Kilogram was first defined as a unit of mass on Terra prior to the foundation of the Terran Confederation. Technologists found the Kilogram useful as the concept of the Technology Level and standardized ideas about sophont society development began to take form. Interestingly, it was the kilogram that was in origin actually envisioned as the "base unit" for mass for both practical and historical reasons when it was first created as a metric, rather than the gram, as would normally be expected.

Common Local Derivations

A number of local variant units based on the kilogram are in use around Charted Space, many of which are modifications of earlier unit systems that have been maintained, mostly for cultural reasons or tradition:

• Metric Pound. The metric pound is a unit of mass redefined from an earlier system of standards, and is the equivalent of 0.5 kg. Also called a "Livre" or "Libra/Librum" in some linguistic traditions.
• Hundredweight. Based on the metric pound, the Hundredweight is the mass of 100 metric pounds, or 50 kg. Also called a "Centner" or "Cental" in some linguistic and cultural traditions.
• Quintal. Based on a "metric" hundredweight of kilogram base-units, the Quintal is a mass of 100kg, or 0.1 tonne (T). It is still often seen on worlds with an Iberian, Francophone or Latin linguistic or cultural heritage.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 615.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science