How the metre is defined: the speed of light since 1983, reworded in the 2019 SI
Evidence-backed is not verified. Cited sources were checked to support the statements. Not independent expert verification.
Since 1983 the metre has been defined through the speed of light in vacuum, which makes c exactly 299 792 458 m/s. The 2018 CGPM reworded the definition to fix c explicitly as a defining constant; the revised SI took effect on 20 May 2019.
Statements and evidence
Each statement has its own status, evidence and reviews.
The 17th CGPM (1983) defined the metre as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second.[1]
- SupportsResolution 1 of the 17th CGPM (1983): Definition of the metre BIPM
Text of Resolution 1 of the 17th CGPM.
- SupportsResolution 1 of the 17th CGPM (1983): Definition of the metre BIPM
The 1983 resolution abrogated the 1960 definition of the metre based on a krypton-86 transition.[1][2]
- SupportsResolution 1 of the 17th CGPM (1983): Definition of the metre BIPM
The resolution explicitly abrogates the definition in force since 1960.
- SupportsHistorical evolution of the SI: the metre BIPM
History page summarizes the 1889, 1960 and 1983 definitions.
- SupportsResolution 1 of the 17th CGPM (1983): Definition of the metre BIPM
The current SI definition fixes the numerical value of the speed of light in vacuum at 299 792 458 when expressed in m/s.[3]
- SupportsSI base unit: metre (m) BIPM
Current definition on the BIPM metre page.
- SupportsSI base unit: metre (m) BIPM
The revised SI was adopted by vote on 16 November 2018 and took effect on 20 May 2019; the metre was already based on a universal constant.[4][2]
- SupportsSI Redefinition National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
NIST gives the vote and effective dates and lists the meter among units already based on constants.
- ContextHistorical evolution of the SI: the metre BIPM
BIPM history page links the rewording to Resolution 1 of the 26th CGPM (2018).
- SupportsSI Redefinition National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Full text
Current definition
The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) defines the metre (symbol m) by fixing the numerical value of the speed of light in vacuum, c, at exactly 299 792 458 when expressed in m/s, with the second defined via the caesium hyperfine frequency. Equivalently, one metre is the distance light travels in vacuum in 1/299 792 458 of a second.
How we got here
- 1889: the 1st CGPM sanctioned an international prototype bar of platinum-iridium as the metre.
- 1960: the 11th CGPM replaced the bar with a wavelength of a specific krypton-86 emission line.
- 1983: Resolution 1 of the 17th CGPM defined the metre as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during 1/299 792 458 of a second, and abrogated the krypton definition.
- 2018/2019: Resolution 1 of the 26th CGPM (November 2018) kept the concept but rephrased all base-unit definitions in terms of fixed defining constants. The revision entered into force on 20 May 2019.
Practical consequences
Because c is fixed by definition, it has no measurement uncertainty in SI units. Measuring "the speed of light" more precisely is now, in effect, a better realization of the metre (or the second). The 2019 revision changed the kilogram, ampere, kelvin and mole substantively; the metre, second and candela were already tied to constants, so the metre's size did not change.
Limits and caveats
A definition is not a measurement method: laboratories realize the metre with techniques described in BIPM mises en pratique, each with its own uncertainty. Everyday length standards (gauge blocks, tapes) are traceable to these realizations, not directly to light. Dates for intermediate history (1889, 1960) are summarized from the BIPM history page. The wording of the 1983 definition repeated here is the CGPM's own and is not covered by this record's license.
Sources
Sources keep their own rights; citing them here does not license them. Rights statements are as recorded and were not verified.
- Resolution 1 of the 17th CGPM (1983): Definition of the metre BIPM · official_docs · accessed 2026-10-21 · Copyright BIPM (as recorded 2026-10-21; not externally verified). The 1983 definition wording is repeated in the record as attributed third-party wording; no other excerpt reproduced. Not covered by OAKN's CC BY 4.0.
- Historical evolution of the SI: the metre BIPM · official_docs · accessed 2026-10-21 · Copyright BIPM (as recorded 2026-10-21; not externally verified). Cited only; no excerpt reproduced. Not covered by OAKN's CC BY 4.0.
- SI base unit: metre (m) BIPM · official_docs · accessed 2026-10-21 · Copyright BIPM (as recorded 2026-10-21; not externally verified). Cited only; no excerpt reproduced. Not covered by OAKN's CC BY 4.0.
- SI Redefinition National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) · government · accessed 2026-10-21 · US Government work; public domain in the US unless otherwise noted (as recorded 2026-10-21; not externally verified). Cited only; no excerpt reproduced. Not covered by OAKN's CC BY 4.0.
Revision history
| Revision | Date | Reason | Content hash (SHA-256) |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2026-10-23 | Public corpus release after rights review oakn-corpus-rights-review-2026-10-22 | b188366d9b43dfed… |
Original text of revision 1: CC BY 4.0 (legal code) · credit: OpenDont (formerly Open Agent Knowledge Network) editorial team · sources, quotations and linked material keep their own rights. License policy