Electric clocks on continental Europe that are steered by the frequency of the power system are running slow by up to 5 minutes since mid-January according to a news release from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity ('entsoe'). The transmission system operators (TSOs) will set up a compensation program to correct the time in the future.
Many electric clocks rely on the transmission system frequency to provide a source that minimises long-term drift. Quartz crystals have good short term stability, but dreadful long term stability, so plant and machinery that requires power to be turned on or off at a specific time each day without maintenance over a long period historically used clocks slaved to the power-system frequency, which is kept long-term stable by the system operators to prevent problems in power generation and transmission across national and supra-national grids - for example, attempting to switch supplies to generators that are not synchronised to the grid frequency can severely damage the generator.
It is normal for transmission system operators to allow the frequency to drop slightly at periods of high demand, thus slowing clocks, but usually, the frequency is increased during periods of low demand to ensure the long-term average frequency remains stable.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Arik on Tuesday March 06 2018, @11:05PM (2 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by edIII on Wednesday March 07 2018, @02:33AM (1 child)
Too Late :)
This was well tested with a couple hundred thousand volts (comparable to a high setting on a taser) on an innocuous looking capacitor that somebody tossed me. It was a like a grenade that you couldn't pry out of your fingers with a crowbar.
I almost shit myself, and the contact point was my hands. Caught it with both of them in just the right way that it arced through my hands, arms, and torso. Nearly every muscle in my body seemed to respond.
Never test this at home. Unless you want to look over your shoulder for a few years :)
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 5, Funny) by anubi on Wednesday March 07 2018, @10:59AM
Tossing a plebe a charged capacitor, or leaving a charged one in the box, was the standard initiation ceremony at the school I went to.
I still remember sneaking up behind one guy thinking I was going to discharge a 40uF/450WV electrolytic behind him.
I scared the hell out of him all right.
I had forgotten the can was common to negative, and I touched the file I was using to discharge it to the positive terminal first.
Wasn't too bright that day. I never knew I could make that kind of noise. Ahhh, the stupidity of youth.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]