Mankind has mastered one important element of timekeeping, and that's accuracy. To quote my esteemed colleague Jack Forster, accuracy "is the degree to which the watch agrees with an external, more accurate time standard."
But what if that standard is actually changing? According to scientists via timeanddate.com, days are getting shorter. In fact, 2020 had the highest amount of shortest days ever recorded. Earth's rotation isn't constant, it varies by fractions of a second, and that's resulted in scientists suggesting, "We should consider shortening the minute to just 59 seconds, at least for one 'negative leap second' that will better line us up with Earth's real rotation," according to a recently published Popular Mechanics article.
Imagine setting all the timekeeping devices in the world back one "negative leap second?"
As it stands, we're running at a deficit of about .5 milliseconds a day. If this continues, and the earth's rotation speeds up, it might be necessary to add a "negative leap second" every year to compensate for this, but of course, that comes with its own set of problems. Even though a single second wouldn't be perceived by you and me, to software, a change this minor can have massive ramifications. The New York Post highlighted this phenomenon affecting popular websites:
"In 2012, an added leap second caused server crashes across a number of internet sites, including Reddit, Yelp, and LinkedIn, while also disrupting those who use Linux operating systems and software using Javascript."
There is a solution, however. There's growing sentiment that favors using an unfettered atomic clock, which doesn't require manipulation as it already accounts for shorter days, as the standard in timekeeping. The decision will be finalized at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2023 by the council of the International Telecommunication Union. They met this past June, and you can see their meeting notes here. If they do decide in favor of the "negative leap second," then a whole lot of clocks are going to need adjusting.
For now, the proposal to shorten a minute to 59 seconds highlights the fleeting nature of time; they're not making any more of it! Read more on Popular Mechanics, here.
Lead image via linked article.
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