Prompt Cast
The Debate Over Leap Seconds and the Future of Timekeeping
TLDR Leap seconds, which are added to the UTC clock every few years to keep it in sync with the rotation of the Earth, are causing issues with precise timekeeping in various industries. One solution being considered is to eliminate leap seconds altogether and adopt time systems like Unix Time or GPS time instead.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Officials at the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service add an extra second to the year every few years, causing potential problems and raising questions about whether this practice should continue.
01:56
The definition of a second as a unit of time has evolved over time, from being based on the division of a day into 24 hours and then into minutes and seconds, to being defined in terms of a year, but these definitions have had their limitations and accuracy issues.
03:49
The definition of a second was changed to be based on atomic vibrations, but this caused a problem with days and years, so leap seconds were introduced to keep clocks in sync with the rotation of the Earth.
05:38
The rotation of the Earth can change due to tidal friction from the Moon and events like earthquakes, which is why leap seconds are necessary to keep clocks in sync.
07:25
Leap seconds are added to the UTC clock either at the end of the year on December 31st or at the end of the first half of the year on June 30th, and the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service determines if a leap second is needed to ensure that the difference between UT and UTC is never more than 0.9 seconds.
09:22
Leap seconds are causing issues with precise timekeeping in various industries, and one solution being considered is to eliminate leap seconds altogether and adopt time systems like Unix Time or GPS time instead.
11:09
The International Bureau of Weights and Measures will determine if leap seconds will be continued in the future, but getting the world on the same page in terms of timekeeping is currently more important than keeping UTC synced to the rotation of the Earth by a few seconds.
