On Thu 2005/08/04 20:45:59 -0400, "Daniel R. Tobias" wrote in a message to: [email protected]
>the solar definition of "second" is actually more in line with how >the average person regards the unit than the SI definition. The world record for the women's 10000m is 29:31.78 - the time recorded in SI seconds to 3 parts per million is perhaps as precise a measure as you will find outside the area of science or technology. On the other hand, at the secular rate of 1 leap second per year, a mean solar day is roughly 86400.003 SI seconds long - that's 0.03 parts per million or 100 times less. Consequently the fiction that mean solar seconds are the same as SI seconds is not likely to bother you in everyday life. However, the point is that these milliseconds per day accumulate - and as the Earth continues to slow down they will accumulate ever faster. Mark Calabretta ATNF
