In a different sense, electronic systems are sometimes synchronized to make events at points far apart appear simultaneous or near-simultaneous from a certain perspective. A clock signal simply signals the start or end of some time period, often measured in microseconds or nanoseconds, that has an arbitrary relationship to any other system of measurement of the passage of minutes, hours, and days. In electrical engineering terms, for digital logic and data transfer, a synchronous circuit requires a clock signal. The need for strict timekeeping led the companies to settle on one standard, and civil authorities eventually abandoned local mean time in favor of railway time.įurther information: Synchronization in telecommunications In some territories, companies shared a single railroad track and needed to avoid collisions. Each line handled the problem by synchronizing all its stations to headquarters as a standard railway time. Synchronization was important in the operation of 19th-century railways, these being the first major means of transport fast enough for differences in local mean time between nearby towns to be noticeable. By the end of the 19th century, important ports provided time signals in the form of a signal gun, flag, or dropping time ball so that mariners could check and correct their chronometers for error. The invention of an accurate marine chronometer revolutionized marine navigation. Before radio navigation and satellite-based navigation, navigators required accurate time in conjunction with astronomical observations to determine how far east or west their vessel traveled. Time-keeping and synchronization of clocks is a critical problem in long-distance ocean navigation.
Today, time synchronization can occur between systems around the world through satellite navigation signals and other time and frequency transfer techniques.
Systems that operate with all parts in synchrony are said to be synchronous or in sync-and those that are not are asynchronous. For example, the conductor of an orchestra keeps the orchestra synchronized or in time.
Synchronization is the coordination of events to operate a system in unison. For other uses, see Synchronization (disambiguation).
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