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TED-Ed

Who decides how long a second is? - John Kitching

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TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

In 1967, researchers gathered to answer a long-running scientific question: just how long is a second? It might seem obvious at first. A second is the tick of a clock, the swing of a pendulum, the time it takes to count to one. But how precise are those measurements? And what is that length based on? John Kitching digs into how we scientifically define this fundamental unit of time.

Watch the video and finish the Think section to complete the lesson.


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Meet The Creators

Educator
John Kitching
Director
Tjoff Koong
Narrator
Addison Anderson
Animator
Tezo Kyungdon Lee, Magnus Lenneskog
Sound Designer
Stephen LaRosa
Director of Production
Gerta Xhelo
Editorial Director
Alex Rosenthal
Producer
Bethany Cutmore-Scott
Editorial Producer
Dan Kwartler
Script Editor
Alex Gendler
Fact-Checker
Eden Girma

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