If it’s the earth’s rotation around the sun, or shift workers switching between day and night alterations the way we live our lives is shaped by many rotating events. Some of them happen daily and some are unpredictable and irregular.

One of these more frequent periodic events is precessionthe Earth’s cyclical wobble around its axis of rotation, just like a spinny, slightly off-center toy top. The variation in the rotational direction to fixed stars, or inertial space, is an extended period of 25,771.5. This is the reason Ferris wheels carousels, ferris wheels and other fun park rides should be equipped with a solid bar that runs from side to side. Another typical rotational event is a Coriolis effect, a mystical push right here over a freely going body system that alters its revolving movement on a meteorological scale. This is responsible for numerous weather patterns, including the alternating direction of cyclones that occur on the upper and southern hemispheres.

While most people know that the earth rotates on its axis each day but many are unaware that the speed of this rotation can vary. The days can sometimes appear longer or shorter than they should be. This is why the atomic clocks that maintain a standard time have to be fine-tuned occasionally. This type of change is referred to as a leap second. This article will explain the meaning behind it and why it’s important to our daily lives.