structural:expansion
Realisation of units

Metrologists carefully distinguish between the definition of a unit and its realisation. The SI units are defined by declaring that seven defining constants have certain exact numerical values when expressed in terms of their SI units. The realisation of the definition of a unit is the procedure by which the definition may be used to establish the value and associated uncertainty of a quantity of the same kind as the unit.

For each base unit the BIPM publishes a mises en pratique, (French for 'putting into practice; implementation',) describing the current best practical realisations of the unit. The separation of the defining constants from the definitions of units means that improved measurements can be developed leading to changes in the mises en pratique as science and technology develop, without having to revise the definitions.

The published mise en pratique is not the only way in which a base unit can be determined: the SI Brochure states that "any method consistent with the laws of physics could be used to realise any SI unit". Various consultative committees of the CIPM decided in 2016 that more than one mise en pratique would be developed for determining the value of each unit. These methods include the following: