2018 · Q1
Which one of the following elements is used as a timekeeper in atomic clocks?
General KnowledgePhysics
- APotassium
- BCaesium
- CCalcium
- DMagnesium
Explanation
The SI second is defined by the caesium-133 atom: one second equals 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation from its ground-state hyperfine transition. Atomic clocks lock a quartz oscillator to this unvarying atomic frequency, so caesium serves as the timekeeper. Potassium, calcium and magnesium have no such metrological role. Hence the answer is caesium.