We’ve had atomic clocks for so long that we take them for granted, putting them into preamps and looking to replace them with even more accurate nuclear versions. Fifty years ago, though, the first accurate atomic clock was only a few years old, and the UK’s National Physical Library made the short film below to explain how it worked. There are plenty of other videos on the YouTube channel as well, including this two-minute one about mapping sound with lasers, but sadly most of them lack the superlatively authoritative narrator of the atomic clock piece.
Watch this 1950s short film explain the first accurate atomic clock
A short film by the UK’s National Physical Laboratory explains how the first accurate atomic clock keeps time.
A short film by the UK’s National Physical Laboratory explains how the first accurate atomic clock keeps time.
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
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