3 ms·
I'm sure someone will point it out, but GPS doesn't use leap seconds. "Adding leap seconds is a waste of time" I see what you did there. And agree!
by creeble 10y ago
I'm sure someone will point it out, but GPS doesn't use leap seconds.
"Adding leap seconds is a waste of time" I see what you did there. And agree!
- frisco 10y agoInteresting. I didn't know that. I think half of the point remains (what sounds like a small error can be critical) but I guess GPS isn't a great example, then, as safety critical systems tend to be smarter by design anyway.
- brudgers 10y agoThe safety critical systems don't reset their clocks because safety critical systems maintain independence in order to maintain safety. Safety critical systems are a place where the abstraction of a Terran Year as a cosmological constant breaks down.
- cnvogel 10y agoGPS is indeed happily unaware of leap seconds, it started counting seconds on January 6th, 1980 (UTC) {1 week is 604800s, weeks count 0..1023, there already was one rollover}. http://imgur.com/a/uq6D0 http://imgur.com/a/uq6D0 A few minutes ago, when the screenshot was taken, this was second #501074 in week #1928. As a courtesy to users, GPS transmits the current number of leap-seconds inserted in UTC (currently: 17) and the fact that a leap-second will be inserted the next occasion (end of this year: "LEAP PENDING!"). That's of course very helpful when you are using GPS disciplined clocks for timekeeping.