Today, atomic clocks are still being improved, using atoms cooled to
incredibly low temperatures. Atomic gases reach temperatures less than a
billionth of a degree above Absolute Zero. Super-cold atoms are at the
heart of Primary Clocks accurate to better than a second in 100 million
years. Such atoms also use, and allow tests of, some of Einstein's
strangest predictions. This lively, multimedia presentation, will
include experimental demonstrations and down-to-earth explanations of
some of today's most exciting science.
At the beginning of the 20th century Einstein changed the way we think
about Time. Now in the 21st century Einstein's thinking is shaping
one of the key scientific and technological wonders of contemporary
life: atomic clocks, the best timekeepers ever made. Such super-accurate
clocks are essential to industry, commerce and science; they are the
heart of the Global Positioning System (GPS), which guides cars,
airplanes and hikers to their destinations.
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