This book provides a comprehensive, systematic description of modern timekeeping and its specializations. Introductory chapters discuss the concept of time and its definition, then briefly look at pre-Atomic Era timekeeping to set the stage for the introduction of the atomic clock. Subsequent chapters focus on concepts such as frequency stability and measurement uncertainty, as well as computer network time-synchronization protocols including Network Time Protocol (NTP) and Precise Time Protocol (PTP). The book then delves into the nuts and bolts of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Two-Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer, and Optical Time and Frequency Transfer. Timescale theory is then described as a way to combine clock data, and the algorithms and procedures used to generate Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) are given. Finally, there is a look at modern applications of timekeeping and time transfer. Featuring a glossary of all key terms, this book is highly recommended for trained or incoming physicists, engineers, or mathematicians working, for example, in manufacturing or timing laboratories. Additionally, it is suitable for use in introductory university courses dealing with the subject of timekeeping.

This book provides a comprehensive, systematic description of modern timekeeping and its specializations. Introductory chapters discuss the concept of time and its definition, then briefly look at pre-Atomic Era timekeeping to set the stage for the introduction of the atomic clock. Subsequent chapters focus on concepts such as frequency stability and measurement uncertainty, as well as computer network time-synchronization protocols including Network Time Protocol (NTP) and Precise Time Protocol (PTP). The book then delves into the nuts and bolts of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Two-Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer, and Optical Time and Frequency Transfer. Timescale theory is then described as a way to combine clock data, and the algorithms and procedures used to generate Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) are given. Finally, there is a look at modern applications of timekeeping and time transfer. Featuring a glossary of all key terms, this book is highly recommended for trained or incoming physicists, engineers, or mathematicians working, for example, in manufacturing or timing laboratories. Additionally, it is suitable for use in introductory university courses dealing with the subject of timekeeping.

Filling the need for a book that presents the current technology as well as the underlying historical and physical background, this publication informs scientists, engineers, and those interested in the foundations of modern timekeeping how precise time and frequency are made available for modern-day use. The authors draw on their longstanding research experience with timekeeping and high-precision measurements to describe the discovery of the irregular motions of the Earth, the development of mechanical and atomic clocks, the introduction of dynamical timescales, and the development of the study of the Earth's orientation in space. Also discussed are astronomical and satellite observations used to improve solar system dynamics and Earth kinematics along with the applications of the theory of relativity to the topics of timekeeping and time transfer. Indispensable for high-precision measurements and applications in astronomy, space sciences, and geodesy, and relevant for physical measurements, navigation, and communication, this monograph can be used equally as a course book or as accompanying work at advanced undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels.

This accessible reference presents the evolution of concepts of time and methods of time keeping, for historians, scientists, engineers, and educators. The second edition has been updated throughout to describe twentieth- and twenty-first-century advances, progress in devices, time and cosmology, the redefinition of SI units, and the future of UTC.

China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC) 2014 Proceedings presents selected research papers from CSNC2014, held on 21-23 May in Nanjing, China. The theme of CSNC2014 is 'BDS Application: Innovation, Integration and Sharing'. These papers discuss the technologies and applications of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and the latest progress made in the China BeiDou System (BDS) especially. They are divided into 9 topics to match the corresponding sessions in CSNC2014, which broadly covered key topics in GNSS. Readers can learn about the BDS and keep abreast of the latest advances in GNSS techniques and applications. SUN Jiadong is the Chief Designer of the Compass/ BDS, and the Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); JIAO Wenhai is a researcher at China Satellite Navigation Office; WU Haitao is a professor at Navigation Headquarters, CAS; LU Mingquan is a professor at Department of Electronic Engineering of Tsinghua University.

Clear and accessible introduction to the concept of time examines measurement, historic timekeeping methods, uses of time information, role of time in science and technology, and much more. Over 300 illustrations.