Coordinated Universal Time

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Definition

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is a standard for measuring time based on International Atomic Time. It is a form of Simultaneous Time, as it is the same time everywhere and therefore useful for coordinating servers, online services and flights, each of these reliant on "having a universally accepted time use".[1] It was created in 1970 by an "international advisory group of technical experts within the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

UTC is used as the acronym for Coordinated Universal Time instead of CUT because of the differences in abbreviation for Coordinated Universal Time in the English (CUT) and French (TUC for 'temps universel coordonné'). The ITU chose the acronym UTC to avoid "appearing to favor any particular language".[2]

Coordinated Universal Time is also known as Zulu Time. "Zulu" is simply the letter "Z" rendered in the NATO phonetic alphabet used by the military and air traffic controllers ("Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot," etc.) for clarity in radio transmissions".[3].

Zulu Time, or Z-Time was developed by 18th century sea captain Nathaniel Bowditch. "In the course of developing a system by which naval navigators could record events in the local time wherever they were, Bowditch realized that since there are 24 hours in a day and 360 degrees around the earth, each 15 degrees change in longitude represented an hour's difference in local time. Thus was the notion of time zones born, and Bowditch designated them with letters, marching East from Greenwich, through the International Date Line (180 degrees longitude), and back to England as he neared the end of the alphabet"[4] and "Greenwich itself ended up being designated the center of the "Z" zone". Thus, "Greenwich Mean Time became "Z time".[5]

References

  1. Wikipedia article on Coordinated Universal Time
  2. National Institute of Standards and Technology Time and frequency FAQ, accessed 1 April 2010.
  3. The Word Detective October 14, 2004 Issue.
  4. The Word Detective October 14, 2004 Issue.
  5. The Word Detective October 14, 2004 Issue.