Method

Details of how it might work: Set your best digital battery operated clocks, watches as close to the min:sec of standard time. Set the hour to the local time. Once your time is set compare it to your chosen time reference standard and write down the offset as so many minutes and so many seconds fast or slow. Some people like to set there clocks ahead by a given amount and as long as this is recorded accurately as compared to a standard time this will still work. The final result could be written like the following and sent to me or a volunteer to enter into a spread sheet. The first 3-6 months would establish a base line for each clock and needs to be accurately done. At the time change into and out of daylight savings time could be one of the times to take the following measurements, information and send them to me or hopefully another volunteer.

Example:

Date measurements made: 26 Oct 97

Clock name Time offset Time offset

Before setting after setting

Casio black watch 2 min 29 sec fast 2 sec slow

Casio gold watch 1 min 33 sec fast 1 sec slow

Watch name: the following is the same for both watches

Temperature notes: average over the period

Batteriess changed: no

Time Standard used: phoned time at 853 1212

Instructions: Make notes for each clock of any radical temperature or batteries changes or other factors that may affect the time measurements during the period. Make a note of what time standard you used. This would be entered into a spread sheet to accumulate the average slow down rate for each period of time. The first measurement would be taken by just taking the above measurements leaving blank the "time offset before setting". This first reading will go to set up a base line. The participants would be reminded a week before the 3 to 6 months (depending on what we decide) period to take there time measurements. This could over time give us hard evidence of the approaching PS if we do this I recommend as much participation as we can get. I would expect to see an exponential curve of the slowing of time becoming more apparent as we approach may 2003.

Interesting definitions and data:

Universal Time (UT): . . . the time which gives the exact rotational orientation of the Earth . . . determined by the U.S. Naval Observatory.

http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/dir-039/_5712.htm

 

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) can be considered equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) (when fractions of a second are not important).

Summary:

1. we need to decide whether this is worth our doing.
2. If yes, then do I do it or do we have a volunteer?
3. If yes, is there anything we can improve on or need changing before we start?
4. What time frame to use for measurements? 3 months or 6 months or only at time change and half way between.
5. What time standard to use to set our clocks to?
6. We need a start date.

My current thoughts are to make the measurements at the time change and half way between or approximately every 3 months. The spread sheet would keep track of unequal measurement periods (variable number of days) by rectifying it back to time slippage/day. My current thoughts on a time standard is to use what each is comfortable with, and just record what was used.

Offered by Mike.