How Do Atomic Clocks Work?

The video explains the significance of atomic clocks, highlighting their role in GPS and scientific research. It contrasts older timekeeping methods like pendulum and quartz clocks with atomic clocks, which use cesium atoms for unparalleled precision. The video details how atomic clocks maintain accuracy through feedback loops, ensuring minimal deviation over time.

What is one of the most common uses of atomic clocks in everyday life?

• Cooking timers

• Global Positioning System (GPS)

• Weather forecasting

• Television broadcasting

What was a major limitation of pendulum clocks?

• They were too expensive to produce

• They were affected by temperature and gravity

• They required frequent winding

• They were too small for practical use

What material is used in quartz clocks for its piezoelectric properties?

• Copper

• Graphite

• Quartz

• Silicon carbide

How is a second officially defined in terms of cesium atoms?

• 100 thousand oscillations of a cesium atom

• 9 billion 192 million 631 thousand 770 oscillations of a cesium atom

• 1 million oscillations of a cesium atom

• 1 billion oscillations of a cesium atom

What is the purpose of the feedback loop in atomic clocks?

• To cool down the cesium atoms

• To increase the size of the clock

• To adjust the frequency for precise timekeeping

• To amplify the radio waves

What happens when a cesium atom resonates with radio waves?

• It stops oscillating

• It changes to a higher energy state

• It emits light

• It produces sound

How precise is the atomic clock at the National Institute of Standards and Technology?

• It loses a minute every decade

• It gains a second every century

• It would be less than a second off since the Big Bang

• It loses a second every year