UTC

Coordinated Universal Time is a time scale that couples Greenwich Mean Time, which is based solely on the Earth’s inconsistent rotation rate, with highly accurate atomic time. UTC was devised on January 1, 1972 and is coordinated in Paris by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

When atomic time and Earth time approach a one second difference, a leap second is calculated into UTC. These leap seconds have been known to contribute in some cases to leap second bugs, which are computer glitches and outages in servers caused by the addition of a leap second.

UTC, like Greenwich Mean Time, is set at 0 degrees longitude on the prime meridian.

Webopedia Staff
Webopedia Staff
Since 1995, more than 100 tech experts and researchers have kept Webopedia’s definitions, articles, and study guides up to date. For more information on current editorial staff, please visit our About page.
Get the Free Newsletter
Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
This email address is invalid.
Get the Free Newsletter
Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
This email address is invalid.

Related Articles

Complete List of Cybersecurity Acronyms

Cybersecurity news and best practices are full of acronyms and abbreviations. Without understanding what each one means, it's difficult to comprehend the significance of...

Human Resources Management System

A Human Resources Management System (HRMS) is a software application that supports many functions of a company's Human Resources department, including benefits administration, payroll,...

How To Defend Yourself Against Identity Theft

Almost every worldwide government agency responsible for identity theft issues will tell you the same thing: The first step to fighting identity theft is...

Infographic

An infographic is a visual representation of information or data. It combines the words information and graphic and includes a collection of imagery, charts,...

ScalaHosting

ScalaHosting is a leading managed hosting provider that offers secure, scalable, and affordable...

HRIS

Human resources information system (HRIS) solutions help businesses manage multiple facets of their...

Best Managed Service Providers...

In today's business world, managed services are more critical than ever. They can...