Clock is ticking on Coordinated Universal Time
OCT 03, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025615
Daily Mail : The French-based International Bureau of Weights and Measures has proposed that to achieve greater accuracy, worldwide time be based entirely on atomic clocks. Since 1884 the standard, which is known as Coordinated Universal Time, has been based on Earth’s daily rotation. But because Earth rotates at slightly varying rates, each day can be fractionally different in length. In 1972 the system was updated to incorporate the use of atomic clocks, with leap seconds added occasionally to keep it in sync with Earth’s rotation. Now with the internet and satellite-based GPS systems, however, even greater accuracy is required. A proposed system based entirely on atomic clocks will be put to a vote in January 2012 at the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva.
© 2011 American Institute of Physics
