Science News

Leap Second May Be Bad For Business

Leap Second

In what sounds like a news story straight out of the late 1990s, some people are worried about what might happen when the Leap Second comes on June 30th. The extra second, added to the clock for that day to sync the atomic clock with Earth’s rotation, is the 25th since the practice began in 1972. The last time the leap second occurred was June 30, 2012.

The Earth’s rotation has been slowing as a result of tidal drag; the moon’s gravity is causing the Earth to bulge slightly, then the Earth’s bulge causes the moon to put a twisting motion onto the Earth, slowing its rotation down. Therefore, we have to add a second to the clock every once in a while to keep the atomic clock synced with the slowing rotation of the Earth.

Now, there is a reason for some concern – the last leap second did cause some issues with some software developers and websites, particularly those that operated using Java. There are concerns that this might happen again, so much that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission posted a recommendation that “financial markets stakeholders review their information systems and processes and address any potential business impacts.”

ASIC recommends that financial markets stakeholders review their information systems and processes and address any potential business impacts.

If you operate any business which utilizes the web or is time-based, it’s not a bad idea to consider this leap second when it comes to your own personal security checks. It seems like such a minor addition, but as we’ve seen in the past, these types of time changes can wreak havoc when it comes to work, which can be bad for business.

There’s an informative video about the Leap Second below.

What are you going to do with your extra second?

Click to comment
To Top

Hi - Get Important Content Like This Delivered Directly To You

Get important content and more delivered to you once or twice a week.

We don't want an impostor using your email address so please look for an email from us and click the link to confirm your email address.