What is Time?

In this episode of Breaking Math, Autumn and Andrew Novick delve into the intricate world of timekeeping, exploring the significance of precise time measurement in modern technology. They discuss the evolution from traditional atomic clocks to cutting-edge optical clocks, the critical role of time in various industries, and the implications of time on fundamental physics, including Einstein's theories. The conversation also touches on the quirky concept of leap seconds and the future advancements in timekeeping technology, emphasizing the relative nature of time and its perception.

You can learn more about Time at time.gov and NIST at nist.gov.

All opinions are of the individual scientist and do not reflect the opinions of  NIST or the federal Government.

About the Guest
Andrew Novick

Andrew Novick has worked in the Time and Frequency Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) since 1998 and as an engineering student employee preceding that. He is an electrical engineer and has worked with electronics for atomic clocks and remote measurement systems. He also manages and maintains the UTC(NIST) remote clock and oscillator calibration services and other comparisons with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite timing and network time protocol (NTP) measurements in the Time Realization and Distribution Group. Novick also created and runs the national web clock www.time.gov and is the Quality Manager for the Time and Frequency Division and has authored or co-authored over 40 papers related to time and frequency metrology.

How to Support Us

Stay Connected: You can find Andrew Novick on his blog page at NIST.

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