When it comes to humans and our adventure through time and space, having a new atomic clock might give us yet another tool to keep ourselves on schedule. Time is an adventure that people seem to be preoccupied with in all manners; everything from when we get up in the morning, when we go to work, to when we go to bed has to do with time. Still, if you compared all the clocks and watches of the world, you’ll notice there’s something to be said about this newly released atomic clock that is so accurate it will only lose one tiny second in a timeframe of 15 billion years!
Apple may have invented its new Apple Watch, but this new optical lattice clock–or as it is also being called the strontium atomic clock–will put the Apple Watch to shame when it comes to accuracy. The new atomic clock was created by scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, last year, but now they have adjusted it to the point where it is the most precise atomic clock in existence.
Atom Vibrations Determine Atomic Clock Accuracy
The experimental clock is now at least three times as precise as it was previously, when it set a new world record for precision. When it comes to defining precision in this case, it means how close the new atomic clock can get to the actual frequency in which the strontium atoms inside of it resonate and oscillate in-between two electronic energy levels.
In this case, this new atomic clock is so precise that it can even measure how the passage of time changes at higher levels of elevation on the Earth, as clocks will actually tick faster if you travel to a higher elevation area. This fact fits in with Einstein’s theory of relativity. According to the scientists who created it, this means the clock can measure gravitational shits if you raise it up a mere two centimeters from the surface of the Earth.
Accuracy Important for Quantum Physics, Navigation Systems, More
You may question whether it really makes a difference having an atomic clock that this precise and accurate, but this accuracy is not just vanity. Having a way to precisely measure the passage of time helps to improve the accuracy of many of our advanced technologies like Global Positioning System, satellites, communications systems, and this new atomic clock could even someday be able to replace the cesium fountain clock as the benchmark in time accuracy. The cesium fountain clock is considered to be the world’s most accurate atomic clock in existence and is located in the NIST laboratories in Boulder, Colorado. It is part of a series of atomic clocks that keep the world’s time zones on schedule.
Time is money–which is why all these atomic clocks/Google watches are big money. Use your time wisely with these “useless skills to pass time while traveling”:
https://youtu.be/t0jSDKQ-Oy0
