Posted on 07/24/2025 2:56:39 PM PDT by Signalman
[[Earth is starting to spin faster ]]
I thought i was dizzier lately
I wish they would leave nature stuff alone!
Does this show itself in a rise in premature ejaculation???
I'm not an expert on the physics of the GPS system, but I believe it relies upon accurate data regarding the position of each satellite and the propagation delay of the signals generated by each satellite.
Since the radio signals from the satellites move at roughly one nanosecond per foot (that is, one billionth of a second per foot) and since a millisecond is equivalent to one million nanoseconds, one might have to deal with errors on the order of one million feet if the timekeeping is off by a millisecond.
My GPS makes errors in guiding me, but an error of a million feet would make the system quite useless.
“You would think that with the moon moving farther and farther away, the Erf would be slowing, like as ice skater (not to be confused with an illegal) spreading her arms to slow her pirouette.”
You would think people would read the article ...
I had that comic. World’s Finest #248, I believe. The physicist who wrote the “Physics of Superheroes” would have fun with that one.
“Since the radio signals from the satellites move at roughly one nanosecond per foot (that is, one billionth of a second per foot) and since a millisecond is equivalent to one million nanoseconds, one might have to deal with errors on the order of one million feet if the timekeeping is off by a millisecond.”
GPS clocks are synched to each other and not to UTC.
Everybody start running east!
My first thought when i read about all natural disasters. It's only going to get worse along with the power hungry politicians not letting a crisis to go to waste.
The Earth is rotating faster because of all the deadbeat freeloaders on the planet beating feet to America to clean up on all the free stuff the RAT Party of Death piggies are giving away to their subhumans who clean their toilets and wait on them like they were Kings and Queens. Slave laborers.
“Climate change” is to blame for everything these days. We must stop using fossil fuels right now, sarc.
How much money is tied to the change?
I was in the field at that time as well. It's kind of maddening to hear people talk about y2k like it was just an overblown scare scenario when the reality is that it was people like you me and thousands of others that did the work that saved the day.
Impact on Precise Timekeeping for Communications
Synchronization Requirements: Modern communication systems, including GPS, satellites, and internet networks, rely on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is maintained by over 400 atomic clocks worldwide with nanosecond precision. Even millisecond discrepancies can disrupt synchronization. For example, GPS satellites require exact timing to calculate positions accurately; a millisecond error can translate to a positional error of hundreds of meters.
Data Transmission: High-speed data networks tag data packets with precise timestamps to ensure correct sequencing and delivery. A faster Earth rotation can cause a mismatch between astronomical time (based on Earth’s rotation) and UTC, potentially leading to data corruption or system crashes if not adjusted.
Power grids operate at a precise frequency (e.g., 60 Hz in the U.S., 50 Hz in Europe). Bad timing, like a negative leap second causing a mismatch in synchronized clocks, can disrupt frequency regulation. This can lead to:
Power grids rely on precise timing to synchronize electricity supply across regions. A timing error can cause:
A small timing error can trigger a domino effect. For instance, a single generator tripping offline due to frequency mismatch can overload others, potentially collapsing entire grid sections.
Restoring a destabilized grid is complex and time-consuming, requiring careful resynchronization. During this period, prolonged outages could disrupt supply chains, emergency services, and public safety.
Grid operators use backup systems like GPS-independent clocks and robust frequency control mechanisms to minimize risks. However, an unprecedented negative leap second, as potentially necessitated by Earth's faster rotation, could stress these systems, especially if software isn't updated to handle it. Ongoing efforts to phase out leap seconds by 2035 aim to reduce such risks, but short-term vulnerabilities remain.
In summary, bad timing can destabilize power grids by disrupting frequency and synchronization, risking equipment damage, blackouts, and widespread societal impacts. Proactive monitoring and software updates are critical to prevent these issues.
Leap Second Challenges: Adding or subtracting a leap second can disrupt power grid timing systems. For instance, when positive leap seconds were added in the past (e.g., 2012), some systems, including those of Qantas Airlines and Reddit, experienced issues due to the unexpected time adjustment. A negative leap second could exacerbate this, as most systems are not programmed to handle a skipped second, potentially causing frequency mismatches or outages
Climate Counteraction: Interestingly, climate change-induced ice melt redistributes mass toward the equator, slowing Earth’s rotation slightly and counteracting the speedup. This may delay the need for a negative leap second (potentially until 2029 instead of 2026), but it complicates long-term predictions for grid management.
Monitoring and Adaptation: Continuous monitoring by organizations like the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) is crucial to predict and manage these changes. However, the unpredictability of Earth’s rotation, influenced by factors like the moon’s gravitational pull, atmospheric changes, and the liquid core, makes long-term planning challenging.
In summary, the Earth’s faster rotation introduces small but critical challenges for precise timekeeping in communications and power systems, primarily due to the potential need for a negative leap second and the reliance of modern technology on exact synchronization. While natural factors like climate change may mitigate the issue, the unprecedented nature of a negative leap second poses significant risks to global infrastructure.
Whatever brings the most grant money.
😁
“For years, they were telling us that it is getting slower.. which is it?”
Both
I guess cigarettes are healthy now.
There is an evil behind all this. The earth and all things have been set in motion and are controlled by God. This stuff is an attempt to thwart His will.
The earth speeds up and it slows down. This is how it has always worked, there is nothing to do. Nothing.
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