Comments on: Quantum Logic Clock – accurate to the nearest second for 3.7 Billion years http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/ The official Derren Brown Blog Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:25:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Rob http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51579 Rob Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:31:25 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51579 Does it matter? It really does. The satellites above us need to be regularly recalibrated to acount for relativity. As computers get faster, they will need to be finely coordinated. Physicists are not stupid - amoral maybe, but not stupid. Timing the lasers in the fusion generators of the future? Powerful clocks may be more useful than you think... Does it matter? It really does. The satellites above us need to be regularly recalibrated to acount for relativity. As computers get faster, they will need to be finely coordinated. Physicists are not stupid – amoral maybe, but not stupid.
Timing the lasers in the fusion generators of the future? Powerful clocks may be more useful than you think…

]]> By: Rob http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51578 Rob Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:23:16 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51578 The perception of time is an illusion: time itself is not. It is a process, a causal relationship between then and now. Events (such as the decay of certain atoms) occur at a constant rate and therefore punctuate and 'measure' the causal chain of processes. A new way of measuring has given us a finer degree of accuracy. If the underlying fabric of space and time changed, the measurements would change accordingly, and therefore would still be accurate. It would have to be a localised change to create a difference great enough to make the readings inaccurate. (Gravity waves - still not been detected) The perception of time is an illusion: time itself is not. It is a process, a causal relationship between then and now. Events (such as the decay of certain atoms) occur at a constant rate and therefore punctuate and ‘measure’ the causal chain of processes. A new way of measuring has given us a finer degree of accuracy.
If the underlying fabric of space and time changed, the measurements would change accordingly, and therefore would still be accurate. It would have to be a localised change to create a difference great enough to make the readings inaccurate. (Gravity waves – still not been detected)

]]> By: Rob http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51577 Rob Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:22:16 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51577 The perception of time is an illusion: time itself is not. It is a process, a causal relationship between then and now. Events (such as the decay of certain atoms) occur at a constant rate and therefore punctuate and 'measure' the causal chain of processes. A new way of measuring has given us a finer degree of accuracy. If the underlying fabric of space and time changed, the measurements would change accordingly, and therefore would still be relatively accurate. It would have to be a localised change to create a difference great enough to make the readings inaccurate. (Gravity waves - still not been detected) Does it matter? It really does. The satellites above us need to be regularly recalibrated to acount for relativity. As computers get faster, they will need to be finely coordinated. Physicists are not stupid - amoral but not stupid. The perception of time is an illusion: time itself is not. It is a process, a causal relationship between then and now. Events (such as the decay of certain atoms) occur at a constant rate and therefore punctuate and ‘measure’ the causal chain of processes. A new way of measuring has given us a finer degree of accuracy.
If the underlying fabric of space and time changed, the measurements would change accordingly, and therefore would still be relatively accurate. It would have to be a localised change to create a difference great enough to make the readings inaccurate. (Gravity waves – still not been detected)
Does it matter? It really does. The satellites above us need to be regularly recalibrated to acount for relativity. As computers get faster, they will need to be finely coordinated. Physicists are not stupid – amoral but not stupid.

]]> By: spiderabc1 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51528 spiderabc1 Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:13:03 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51528 If you don't wear a watch time appears to go faster. If you don’t wear a watch time appears to go faster.

]]> By: KlooRhee http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51474 KlooRhee Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:11:10 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51474 Time doesn't exist anyway. It's just something we believe in. Or is it not? Time doesn’t exist anyway. It’s just something we believe in. Or is it not?

]]> By: Lady Claire http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51472 Lady Claire Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:03:22 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51472 Erm.....wow? LC x Erm…..wow?

LC x

]]> By: jameshogg http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51471 jameshogg Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:28:02 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51471 Btw I totally need that clock. To hold the whole world hostage. Rofl nobody would know what to do. >.> Btw I totally need that clock.

To hold the whole world hostage.

Rofl nobody would know what to do.

>.>

]]> By: StarliteShadow http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51468 StarliteShadow Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:10:52 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51468 Well, I think the big question is... Whose time is it being measured against? Unless it has been built to somehow ignore the laws of space-time, the time will only be accurate for its own experience for the measurements. Throw it into orbit for a few decades, and I am pretty sure that either it will be wrong. Well, I think the big question is… Whose time is it being measured against? Unless it has been built to somehow ignore the laws of space-time, the time will only be accurate for its own experience for the measurements.

Throw it into orbit for a few decades, and I am pretty sure that either it will be wrong.

]]> By: Benjamin http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51467 Benjamin Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:40:29 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51467 This clock is accurate as compared to what? We don't actually know when the great "universal" (as if there could really be such a thing). It might be accurate for us, but even then we've started the stop watch a long way into the existence of the universe. There's no saying that we've started counting at a precise moment, or that there is a pan-universal thing where those moment's are consistent throughout the universe and all of its anomalies. We should probably start to better understand what it is we're measuring before we develop an incredibly accurate device to measure it. This clock is accurate as compared to what? We don’t actually know when the great “universal” (as if there could really be such a thing). It might be accurate for us, but even then we’ve started the stop watch a long way into the existence of the universe. There’s no saying that we’ve started counting at a precise moment, or that there is a pan-universal thing where those moment’s are consistent throughout the universe and all of its anomalies. We should probably start to better understand what it is we’re measuring before we develop an incredibly accurate device to measure it.

]]> By: Gordon Wilson http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2010/02/quantum-logic-clock-accurate-nearest-37-billion-years/#comment-51461 Gordon Wilson Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:51:36 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=9909#comment-51461 Wow, where can I buy one? Wow, where can I buy one?

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