How Atomic Clocks Work

Source: https://science.howstuffworks.com/atomic-clock1.htm

    Atomic clocks keep time better than any other clock. They even keep time better than the rotation of the Earth and the movement of the stars. Without atomic clocks, GPS navigation would be impossible, the Internet would not synchronize, and the position of the planets would not be known with enough accuracy for space probes and landers to be launched and monitored.

    

            
            




    Atomic clocks are not radioactive. They do not rely on atomic decay. Rather, they have an oscillating mass and a spring, just like ordinary clocks.

    

                        

    

                                    
            




    The big difference between a standard clock in your home and an atomic clock is that the oscillation in an atomic clock is between the nucleus of an atom and the surrounding electrons. This oscillation is not exactly a parallel to the balance wheel and hairspring of a clockwork watch, but the fact is that both use oscillations to keep track of passing time. The oscillation frequencies within the atom are determined by the mass of the nucleus and the gravity and electrostatic "spring" between the positive charge on the nucleus and the electron cloud surrounding it.

🔐 Cryptographic Verification

Archived URL: https://science.howstuffworks.com/atomic-clock1.htm

�� CONTENT HASHES:
  SHA-256:  4356f011960e2bbce930912701d95466e956e26cd4e2c9c52844afb7c8c12b58
  BLAKE2b:  fec634b410fc1a320370e9844e996bd5715806fc9bc8acfda12577bb509288fc
  MD5:      5681a83a584c571e8e3c6cc6a02caac1

�� TITLE HASHES:
  SHA-256:  9dbdc6401bac672c68e31ec722884565e55201cc73fcce822027a6c1f3c675d4
  BLAKE2b:  2668dfd622982a365db5075cd1cf00bfe62ff712dfc533d01aa8b96cb4794d22
  MD5:      15b3c2ed7142813e210d47555bc9c609

�� INTEGRITY HASHES:
  SHA-256:  98244e221854a721034e6e773e3b85268a945188fb2e67729821740b70692541
  BLAKE2b:  93283d0f93a154674afde48df149d21ad57e2a79dec875f3e08b5ecf529573c2
  MD5:      fbfa4146036f91bebe56fb06750c6071

Archived with ArcHive - Client-side cryptographic archival system