GIORGI, GIOVANNI

born Nov. 27, 1871, Lucca, Italy died Aug. 19, 1950, Castiglioncello Italian physicist who proposed a widely used system for the definition of electrical, magnetic, and mechanical units of measurement. Giorgi studied civil engineering at the Institute of Technology in Rome and from 1906 to 1923 directed the Technology Office of Rome. He taught (191339) at the University of Rome and also held appointments at the universities of Cagliari and Palermo and at the Royal Institute for Higher Mathematics. He is best known for developing the Giorgi International System of Measurement (also known as the mksa system) in 1901. This system proposed as units of scientific measurement the metre, kilogram, second, and joule and was endorsed in 1960 by the General Conference of Weights and Measures (with the ampere instead of the joule as the unit of energy). Giorgi also contributed to the development of hydroelectric installations, electric distribution networks, and urban trolley systems.