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Small Whale · Reading worksheet

Coordinated Universal Time

High school (ages 12+)
Mathematics & Numbers

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/coordinated-universal-time

Step 2 · Questions

1. What is the official implementation date?
2. What is the predecessor standard?

Step 3 · Words to know

Write what each word means, using the article.

International Atomic Time (TAI)
Universal Time 1 (UT1)
International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)
International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS)

Step 4 · Two facts in your own words

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

1.

2.

Answer key (teacher copy)

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the official implementation date?January 1, 1972
2. What is the predecessor standard?Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) for practical timekeeping

International Atomic Time (TAI): A highly stable, continuous timescale based on the weighted average of atomic clock measurements worldwide.
Universal Time 1 (UT1): A measure of time based directly on the Earth's rotation, which is slightly irregular.
International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM): The international organization responsible for maintaining International Atomic Time (TAI).
International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS): The organization responsible for calculating and announcing leap seconds.