How Does An Atomic Clock Work?

We all know the importance of clocks. They keep us running on time. Without them, we'd miss soccer practice and school, dentist appointments and weddings. The clock is a highly important tool, perhaps in the upper echelon of humanity's greatest inventions. But what about atomic clocks?

Just to alleviate your fears... no, atomic clocks don't run on nuclear power.

The base function of time-keeping with an atomic clock is grounded in atomic physics (not nuclear physics as many may believe). Using the electromagnetic transition frequency found within atoms, an atomic clock bases its mechanism of measurement against this standard. More often than not, atomic clocks rely upon the microwave signals that electrons emit in an atom when they change energy levels.

So how do atomic clocks work? With lasers. Coooooool!

Pew. Pew. Lasers are so rad.

Using captured atoms in a microwave-filled atomic fountain (a cloud of atoms tossed upwards by lasers in the Earth's gravitational field), atomic clocks employ said lasers to slow atoms down dramatically. In fact, the atoms are slowed to nearly absolute zero. That's frigid! Once the atoms are slowed to almost a standstill, the are probed to measure the time difference between the electrons changing their energy level.

At this point, you may be asking "Jared, what atoms are used to measure time in an atomic clock?" Good question! Atomic clocks rely upon a standard measurement found within caesium-133. As the only stable isotope of Caesium, the International System of Units (SI) defines the second as the duration of 9,192, 631, 770 cycles of radiation relating to the transition between two energy levels of the caesium-133 atom.

Click to enlarge

That's a lot of technical jargon, but essentially, the most accurate time measurement known to man is all thanks to the element caesium.

Because atomic clocks measure the second on the atomic level, they are the most accurate time measurement tools on the planet. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the chief time keeper for the United States, through which much of the world also relies upon. Their current premier clock, the NIST-F2, has been online since 2014. Current evaluations of NIST-F2 place its accuracy at an amazing 300 Million years before it will lose a second. If you've ever synced your computer's clock to internet time, then you may have noticed the time.nist.gov weblink. This is the NIST's website, which helps keep all of our computers, mobile devices and GPS units running accurately. Thanks NIST!

The NIST-F2 Atomic Clock

And there you have it. Atomic clocks keep our technological world running accurately and efficiently. When you look at your smart phone for the time, or map your coordinates on a GPS device, you're employing lasers and atomic physics. Doesn't that feel awesome?!

Punctuality: The Importance Of Being On Time And Meeting Deadlines.

Over the course of the past few weeks, I've encountered some calamity while attempting to sell items via Craigslist. Namely, my (potential) customers have been extremely late or simply failed to show up.

I attempted to sell a printer a few weeks ago to someone whom contacted me. They asked if I could meet them in a public location that's approximately twenty minutes from my house. I arrived ten minutes early and waited over an hour, only for the buyer to never show up. The buyer had the nerve to email me the next day and ask if I could meet them again. When I stated that they would need to come to me because they stood me up, they complained and then never wrote back.

A few days after that, an interested party asked to purchase a marble chess set I had for sale on Craigslist. They sent me an endless stream of emails asking me all manner of questions, some of which were repeated. When it came time to meet me (again, another twenty minute ride to accommodate their distance), they stood me up. They also contacted me after the fact to make an excuse and asked if they could meet me another day. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I said I could. They never wrote me again.

Back to the printer! Another buyer wrote and asked if they could purchase it. We agreed upon a public place and time to meet. Yet, instead of showing up when scheduled, the buyer called me three separate times saying they were "a few minutes away". They finally arrived an hour and a half late, without so much as an apology! What baffled me is how they just assumed I'd wait that long. Honestly, I probably should have left out of pure disgust.

A second buyer contacted me about the same chess set last week. They asked if they could meet me at a gas station on Sunday (yesterday) at 11:30 AM. What time did they actually show up? 12:20 PM. That's right... fifty minutes late. How serendipitous of them to arrive literally as I was about to pull away. My blood was boiling. I looked at this woman's face with a deeply sour expression and was about to give her a piece of my mind, but she had a child with her. I bit my tongue because I didn't want to make a fuss in front of the kid. She never apologized or explained why she was late.

In every one of these instances, the customer had my contact info. They could have called or emailed me at any point to let me know of their tardiness, much less their not coming.

So what am I getting at?

Americans have developed a genuine problem with being on time. As a whole, we've become lazy, prone to lateness, inconsiderate of others, and simply don't follow through with tasks. If you say you're going to do something, or be somewhere at a certain time, then you need to do it. No excuses. At the very least, if you do encounter a delay, let others involved know that you're going to be late. It's just a matter of common decency.

Flaky, undependable, rude, discourteous -- this is no way to go through life. On some level, I'm ashamed to share a country with these plebeians. And yet, this will continue to happen, over and over. Our self-serving culture promotes being wayward and capricious. Where did we go wrong?

The scary part? It's only getting worse.

What Makes A Year?

As we charge head first into a brand new year, I'd like to break down the basics of what we'll experience throughout 2016.

• 365 Days, each a new chance to improve our life just a little bit more.
• 8760 Hours, each an opportunity to step outside our comfort zone and try something new.
• 525,600 Minutes, each making us slightly more wiser.
• 31,536,000 Seconds, each tick moving us a little farther down the path to the end of the road.

The new year will bring long-awaited answers and uncover brand new questions. We'll fight with our loved ones. Some will break off engagements. Others will find love for the first time. Many will be born and many will die. Wars will be fought. Flags will be raised. Fortunes will be made and the impoverished will starve. We'll find even greater heights of all the good humanity has to offer. And yet, the clock will continue to tick as if nothing is happening.

You see, the year isn't really formed by time. Everything we say and do. All that we destroy and build again. Love and hate and everything in between... that's what makes a year. Step back and look at the year you are about to create. Will it be a great one... or will it be a waste? The choice is yours.

Realize just how important you are. You call the shots in your life. How your year turns out is completely within your control. The question is... are you ready to take the wheel?

Why Yes, I'll Take An Extra Second!

Congratulations! On July 1, 2015, you will live for one second longer. Why, you ask? Because we'll be experiencing not a leap year, but a leap second.

Surely, you're scratching your head at this point. I'll explain.

As the Earth rotates on its axis, we mark a day as one complete revolution. In twenty-four hours, the Sun will make one lap through our sky. Though, it's not exactly twenty-four hours. In the early 1900's, astronomers determined that a day was a fraction off from being exactly twenty-four hours long. This is due to the rotation of our planet not being completely constant. Various factors drag upon the spin of Earth. Overall, our planet's rotation is slowing down, second by second. A chief influence upon Earth is our own moon, which pulls upon us with tidal forces. Other natural events, like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, shift us off the rotational axis in very minuscule, but noticeable amounts.

Thereby, our days because shorter in a mathematical sense. If we didn't insert a leap second, over time the day would become warped and not match current measurement standards.

Surprisingly, this isn't the first time a leap second has been used. Since 1972, we've had twenty-five other instances of the leap second being inserted. More than likely, you won't notice the added second at all. Your day will continue on as planned, not being affected in the slightest. This doesn't hold true for computers and network systems, where an extra second can wreak havoc. When the last leap second was employed in 2012, it caused airline problems and sent many popular websites offline temporarily.

I find it amazing how one second can have so much power, yet never be noticed. Perhaps the next time you glance down at your watch, you'll reconsider how important a second really is.