Penn State physics professor helps keep world on schedule through work on the accuracy of clocks
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 - 06:30
in Mathematics & Economics
How much is a fraction of a second worth? It could cost millions of dollars during a crash of the stock market, when panic selling causes investment values to plummet. A timing error of just one-tenth of a second could mean the loss of huge amounts of money. Ultra-precise timing also provides the high-security time stamps needed every day for large financial transactions. Thats why super-accurate clocks have become essential tools in the finance industry.