what is the most accurate source of time???

i know its not vcr time, but theres tv time, cell phone time, computer time and maybe a few others. i would say cell phone time cause its the only kind i never had to manually update yet. what do youse guys think?

The NIST Cesium clock is used for the time standard in the US.

Canada, Russia and other countries also have atomic clocks as does
the US Navy.

tf.nist.gov...

Technically it's GMT, but in a physical sense, I wouldnt know.

External Source: www.greenwichmeantime.com...

The Greenwich Meridian (Prime Meridian or Longitude Zero degrees) marks the starting point of every time zone in the World. GMT is Greenwich Mean (or Meridian) Time is the mean (average) time that the earth takes to rotate from noon-to-noon.

GMT is World Time and the basis of every world time zone which sets the time of day and is at the centre of the time zone map. GMT sets current time or official time around the globe. Most time changes are measured by GMT. Although GMT has been replaced by atomic time (UTC) it is still widely regarded as the correct time for every international time zone.

[edit on 22-1-2006 by timb3r]

The major phone companies all sync to the atomic clocks. You can do it on your computer as well by running NTP (Network Time Protocol) and it will get things damn close. Any better and you would need your own atomic clock or a GPS time solution and specialized time reciever. Any good network admin should have NTP running somewhere or have Windows DC's sync to NTP and letting users sync to those. All the major ISP's will have either an NTP box or all of their border routers will be running it so you can sync to them if you wish - check with your ISP for details.

Yes UTC is the official time of the planet and the NIST is the US host of our contributing atomic clock and one of the worlds most accurate....

What happens if time quickens?

[edit on 23-1-2006 by bigpappadiaz]

Originally posted by bigpappadiaz
What happens if time quickens?

[edit on 23-1-2006 by bigpappadiaz]

What do you mean quickens?

Seems there is an even more accurate atomic clock which has been built using Strontium. It's called the optical lattice clock.

So what ticks faster than a caesium atom? Elements being scrutinised include ytterbium, mercury and strontium, which resonates 429,228,004,229,952 times each second. But until now it has proved impossible to create a useful strontium atomic clock.

In principle, there are two ways to create a strontium clock: using the oscillations of a single atom, or doing the same with many atoms at the same time. The advantage of using a single atom is that it is relatively easy to shield it from external electromagnetic fields, which interfere with its oscillating frequency. The disadvantage is that it is extremely difficult to accurately measure a single atom vibrating at such a high frequency. A multi-atom clock produces a much clearer signal but is less accurate, because the electromagnetic fields of the atoms interfere with each other.
“A second is officially the time it takes for a caesium atom to resonate 9,192,631,770 times”

Now Hidetoshi Katori and his colleagues at the University of Tokyo have come up with an elegant solution that combines the advantages of both systems (Nature, vol 435, p 321). Katori uses six laser beams to create a pattern of standing electromagnetic waves. This creates a series of energy wells, each of which supports one strontium atom, in much the same way as each dimple in an egg box holds an egg (see Diagram). This prevents the electromagnetic fields of individual atoms interfering with those of their neighbours, and allows the oscillating signals of many atoms to be measured at once.

www.newscientist.com...

Some fantasy/sci-fi based minds see time as a dimension that we could possibly go back in, but I just don't think that's the case. The matter we have on this planet is what we have to work with, and I refer to the energy or series of reactions which act as a catalyst to all the little reactions, vibrations, attractions and repulsions that cause deterioration and makes us perceive age. What if the source of that energy increases its output? How do you think we'd know and would those who knew tell anyone?

Originally posted by bigpappadiaz
What happens if time quickens?

Theoretically, if time were to "quicken", so would everything else, including clocks. We would be unaware that the clocks were going "faster", since we're going "faster" with them.

There really is no one set "time" or clock to go by, since everything is relative. "Time", as we think of it, is an invention of people to help us schedule appointements and coordinate events and basically keep everything "running like clockwork."

Go check out this link, see if it helps any :

science.howstuffworks.com...

Or:

science.howstuffworks.com...

[edit on 1/23/06 by paulthefourth]

Not really though, I think that's bogus. I think some would be more screwed than others, depending on the part of the world they're on and how the quickening of these reactions go. I don't think time is quite what you think it is. I imagine something in my head along the lines of materials breaking down, falling apart, all the while you still walk around just fine. Slowly though the people watch and feel themselves fall apart. Those who knew what to expect, are locked away safely in their little Tesla shields or repel the effects, and those on parts of the earth unaffected are safe from the ravages. Kind of reminds me of that one valley in India that was supposed to be the God's playground, and it was safe from the ravages of time.

On another note, could the quickening be a reason why these old guys aren't afraid to spray a country with something that's supposed to last billions of years? Could changing conditions, like maybe a polar reversal, cut some of that down?

It's on all my computers, and it syncs with what comes in on my cable and phone so I'm happy with it. It's a free download from C/Net in their Downloads.com section.

Here's a link if you want to get the program.
Atomic Clock Sync 2.7.0.3