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Consider the following statements with reference to leap second:
1. It is used as a measure to combat the long-term slowdown in the Earth’s rotation.
2. The World Meteorological Organization makes decisions on whether to add or subtract a leap second from universal time.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
  • a)
    1 only
  • b)
    2 only
  • c)
    Both 1 and 2
  • d)
    Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
Most Upvoted Answer
Consider the following statements with reference to leap second:1. It ...
Explanation:

1. Statement 1:
- The statement is correct. A leap second is used to account for the gradual slowdown in the Earth's rotation. This slowdown is caused by various factors such as tidal friction, changes in the Earth's core, and other geophysical events.
- By adding a leap second, we ensure that the atomic clocks used for Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) stay in sync with the Earth's rotational time, preventing discrepancies from accumulating over time.

2. Statement 2:
- The statement is incorrect. The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) is responsible for making decisions on when to add or subtract a leap second from UTC, not the World Meteorological Organization.
- The IERS monitors the Earth's rotation and determines if a leap second is necessary based on the deviation between atomic time and astronomical time.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 'A' - 1 only.
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Community Answer
Consider the following statements with reference to leap second:1. It ...
A recent study highlighted that due to factors like climate change and geological shifts, Earth's changing rotation may prompt clocks to skip a second, potentially necessitating a "negative leap second" around 2029.
  • It is used as a measure to combat the long-term slowdown in the Earth’s rotation which is caused by the constant melting and refreezing of ice caps.
  • It is added every now and then to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in order to synchronize a clock worldwide with the Earth’s ever slowing rotation.
  • The system of leap seconds was introduced in the early 1970s. So far, there have been 27 positive leap seconds have been added.
  • UTC consists of a time scale that combines the output of more than 300 highly precise Atomic clocks worldwide. Atomic clocks are very accurate and are stable within 1 second over a period of millions of years.
  • On the other hand, the Astronomical Time known as Universal Time (UT1) refers to the Earth's rotation around its own axis and determines the length of a day.
  • Reason for addition: The Earth's rotation around its own axis is not regular, as sometimes it speeds up and sometimes it slows down, due to various factors including the moon’s gravitational Earth-braking forces that often results in ocean tides.
  • As a result, Astronomical Time (UT1) gradually falls out of synch with Atomic time (UTC), and as and when the difference between UTC and UT1 approaches 0.9 seconds, a “Leap Second” is added to UTC through Atomic clocks worldwide.
  • A leap second is normally inserted either on June 30 or December 31.
What is Negative Leap second?
  • It is a second that is subtracted from our clocks to keep them in sync with the Earth's rotation.
  • Till date, no negative leap second has been introduced because, in the last few decades the Earth's rotation has generally been a bit slow.
  • The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) monitors the Earth's rotation and takes decisions on when to add or subtract a leap second.
  • Since Earth is spinning faster than usual recently so timekeepers had thought of using negative leap seconds for the first time.
  • In other words, they thought of subtracting leap seconds from our clocks to synchronise them with Earth's rotation.
Hence only statement 1 is correct.
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Consider the following statements with reference to leap second:1. It is used as a measure to combat the long-termslowdown in the Earth’s rotation.2. The World Meteorological Organization makes decisions on whether to add or subtract a leap second from universal time.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?a)1 onlyb)2 onlyc)Both 1 and 2d)Neither 1 nor 2Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
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