![]() ![]() Yes, even atomic clocks drift, but on average, it’s a drift of a single second every 100 million years, so you aren’t going to notice it. ![]() ![]() We have yet to create a clock that doesn’t experience some amount of clock drift. A year after you bought the watch, you would inevitably find a noticeable discrepancy if you were to compare it to the atomic clock. Even if your watch was initially synchronized by the atomic clock, the time will eventually “drift”. All timepieces experience clock drift, defined as the desynchronization of a timepiece from its reference clock. Your birthday present from your spouse is likely a fine piece of craftsmanship, but sadly, in the time it’s taken to read this far into this article, it’s probably experienced at least a few microseconds of clock drift. If you own any watch other than an atomic watch, you don’t have the most accurate timepiece available. Rest assured, atomic clocks are the most accurate means of measuring the time science has developed. Understanding the exact mechanism of atomic clocks and how the length of a second was originally determined would involve a much deeper dive into atomic physics. Since it’s easier to measure slower-moving targets and atoms move slower at lower temperatures, the most accurate atomic clocks cool the atoms to the point of almost absolute zero. This is measured by observing the microwave signals emitted by electrons during this transition. Specifically, what is being measured is the transition (i.e., oscillation) of electrons between energy levels. The number of cesium oscillations that occur in a second is 9,192,631,770. Still, in the simplest terms possible, an atomic clock determines the length of a second by measuring the number of oscillations of a cesium-133 atom. That probably sounds pretty cool, but now you’re surely wondering, “What makes an atomic clock so accurate?” The science behind atomic clocks is considerably complex to explain adequately. Are There Any Affordable Atomic Watches?. ![]()
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