[FlingWingFlyer]

Stop five people on the street and ask them what time it is on their watches. You’ll get five different answers. I don’t really think one second is that big of a deal.

[Red Badger]

That’s beacuse time is relative............

[dfwgator]

Does anybody really know what time it is?

[Vermont Lt]

No. Its not.

But to the people who pay attention to this stuff it is. It’s the little things that can peak curiosity which lead to bigger things.

I doubt very much that the artificial concept of “time” is going to add or delete a second from our lives.

[SaveFerris]

[Stop five people on the street and ask them what time it is on their watches. You’ll get five different answers.]

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Does anybody really care?

[Sacajaweau]

a big nothing...compared to changing your clock twice a year..

[ProtectOurFreedom]

It is a HUGE deal and people don’t know it. Many of our modern systems require millisecond (maybe microsecond) accuracy to keep GPS properly working, atomic clocks synched, utility frequency regulation synched and lots others.

[Fresh Wind]

Stop five people on the street and ask them what time it is on their watches. You’ll get five different answers.

And if you see someone look at their watch, and then ask them the time, 9 times out of 10 they will look again.

[ansel12]

I have an atomic clock on the porch, in my home office, my bedroom, the living room, the bathroom, and 2 in the kitchen, two of the atomic clocks are conventional looking clocks with second hands.

I also wear a wrist watch and of course the computers in every room.

[zeugma]

Stop five people on the street and ask them what time it is on their watches. You’ll get five different answers. I don’t really think one second is that big of a deal.

There are applications were a second really does matter, but mostly not.

Leap seconds happen occasionally, and can go forward or backwards, though to date, all have gone forward.

Here's a chart of leap seconds to date that I put together some time back...

Announced leap seconds to date
Year	Jun 30	Dec 31	Total
1972	+1	+1	2
1973	0	+1	3
1974	0	+1	4
1975	0	+1	5
1976	0	+1	6
1977	0	+1	7
1978	0	+1	8
1979	0	+1	9
1980	0	0	9
1981	+1	0	10
1982	+1	0	11
1983	+1	0	12
1984	0	0	12
1985	+1	0	13
1986	0	0	13
1987	0	+1	14
1988	0	0	14
1989	0	+1	15
1990	0	+1	16
1991	0	0	16
1992	+1	0	17
1993	+1	0	18
1994	+1	0	19
1995	0	+1	20
1996	0	0	20
1997	+1	0	21
1998	0	+1	22
1999	0	0	22
2000	0	0	22
2001	0	0	22
2002	0	0	22
2003	0	0	22
2004	0	0	22
2005	0	+1	23
2006	0	0	23
2007	0	0	23
2008	0	+1	24
2009	0	0	24
2010	0	0	24
2011	0	0	24
2012	+1	0	25
2013	0	0	25
2014	0	0	25
2015	+1	0	26
2016	0	+1	27
Year	Jun 30	Dec 31	Total
Total	11	16	27
Current TAI-UTC = 37