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Excellent vintage film about the first accurate atomic clock

Xeni Jardin at 6:21 pm Mon, May 7, 2012

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This short film was produced by the film unit of the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the 1950s, and explains the principles behind the first accurate atomic clock, which was designed by Louis Essen and built at the National Physical Laboratory in 1955. The NPL's YouTube channel has other videos of interest to science geeks. (thanks, obadiahlemon)

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

MORE:  atomic • clocks • History • Science • time • timepieces • uk • video • Vintage Weird • watches

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  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=691210142 Alex Moffat

    Hurray, a science documentary that doesn’t talk down to the viewer or try to sex up the subject. Oh, it’s from 60 years ago, I guess that explains it :(

  • nixiebunny

    Then, 10 short years later, Hewlett Packard crammed the entire thing into one rack-mount box.

    http://www.leapsecond.com/museum/hp5060a/

  • robuluz

    Travel back in time, to a world before Dolby NR!

  • Jake0748

    This kind of video reminds me why I became  science geek back when I was a kid.  Thanks, Xeni.  :D