Meet the Old Clock Synchronization, Same as the New Clock Synchronization

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Before we could synchronize clocks at the speed of light (or something reasonably close to it), we had the sound of bells, like Big Ben.

Time corrections for Big Ben’s chime

When Big Ben was built in 1859, charts were issued to show the allowance that had to be made for the sound of the bell, traveling at ~768 mph, to reach different parts of London.

One thought on “Meet the Old Clock Synchronization, Same as the New Clock Synchronization”

  1. Best employee excuse of 1859: “I was late to work because it was an unusually cold and dry day.”

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