[ntp:questions] Purpose of a leap second file?

John Hasler jhasler at newsguy.com
Sun Mar 4 19:42:43 UTC 2012


nemo_outis writes:
> It was specifically chosen, not because of its deep significance as a
> 'universal physical constant', but specifically to make the 'new'
> second very close to the old 'earth-rotation' second.

But not exact.  Can't be: the rotation is not stable.  I'm not
advocating the elimination of leapseconds: just a cessation of the
practice of treating them as if they were corrections of errors in the
atomic clocks.  Let the clocks run on TAI (and so record time stamps) and
then look up and insert leapseconds as needed for display.
-- 
John Hasler 
jhasler at newsguy.com
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, WI USA



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