Time Standards Creation: UTC vs GMT
Sir George Airy defined GMT as the mean solar time at the Prime Meridian, which passes through the Royal observatory. GMT is based on Earth’s rotation and the position of the sun relative to the Prime Meridian. GMT has started to face limitations in its precision as the technology is advancing, especially with the development of UTC.
UTC was introduced in the 1960s as a result of the demand of a more accurate and synchronized time standard. UTC is independent of the Earth’s rotation and is maintained by the addition of leap seconds to maintain the irregularities throughout. The use of atomic timekeeping in UTC transcends the accuracy of GMT.
While GMT has played a crucial role in history, especially in navigation and astronomy, the transition to UTC has been more precise, accurate and beneficial internationally.
Difference Between GMT and UTCDifference Between GMT and UTC – FAQs
Difference Between GMT and UTC: Greenwich Mean Time and Coordinated Universal Time are often used interchangeably or are confused as one, but GMT is a time zone and UTC is a time standard. Even though UTC and GMT share the same time, there is a basic difference between them.
GMT is a time zone that is officially used in European and African countries. The time zone can be displayed in both 12-hour and 24-hour format, whereas UTC is a time standard that is used as the international timekeeping standard and is not a time zone.
In this article, we will learn about the definitions of GMT and UTC, their examples, and the difference between GMT and UTC.
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