An engineer at Facebook’s VR division has invented a new unit of time. The “Flick” – as it’s being called – is “slightly longer than a nanosecond.”
Thank god we’re all pretty much tied to the same time units. Centuries, years, months, days, hours, seconds, milliseconds, nanoseconds… they’re all accepted by humanity as standard measurements of time. But wait… we’ve got a new unit in town. Invented by an engineer at Facebook – Christopher Horvath – it’s called a “Flick,” and according to Facebook its the smallest time unit which is LARGER than a nanosecond.
We know it’s some kind of a measurement of time, but why would anyone use it instead of the usual? Well, it turns out C++ programmers have a bit of a problem, and the new unit solves it for them.
Facebook describes Flicks as “a unit of time, slightly larger than a nanosecond that exactly subdivides media frame rates and sampling frequencies.” It’s all a little complicated, but essentially it’s based on how much time a program allows a screen to refresh. That’s around 16.667 milliseconds to refresh at 60fps. This works the same with games, browsers, or any other piece of software, and it’s this timing that keeps everything we view on our screens smooth.
But programmers find it hard working with 16.667 milliseconds, and programs can run into problems if the math is off. So, defining a Flick as 1/705,600,000th of a second, a frame at 60fps becomes a convenient 11,760,000 Flicks.
Flicks aren’t only useful for frame rates. Flicks can also be used for high-end audio applications. The industry measures sound levels each 1/192,000th of a second. With the new unit, that is turned into 3,675 Flicks.
Facebook offers its open-source software to help you count Flicks here.
You might also like
More from Facebook
Facebook NPE Team Introduces Hotline, A New Competitor For Clubhouse
Facebook Hotline is a slightly different take on Clubhouse that puts more power in the hands of attendees who can …
Facebook Is Testing QR Codes For Peer-To-Peer Payments In The US
In the US, Facebook has begun testing Venmo-like QR codes to facilitate peer-to-peer payments using its app.
Introducing Facebook Dynamic Ads For Streaming
Facebook has announced Dynamic Ads for Streaming - a new ad solution that will help streaming brands highlight their content …
Facebook Data Breach: Did They Get Your Data?
The latest Facebook data breach concerned over 533 million users. We help you check if your personal data was compromised.
Facebook Analytics Will Disappear On June 30
Facebook will retire its Analytics tool on June 30, the company announced in a Business Help Center post today.
Facebook Expands Supports For Unemployed Or Furloughed Ad Agency Professionals
The Rise Initiative Facebook began in Brazil to aid ad agency professionals is now expanding to Canada, Italy, Singapore, and …
LADbible’s Facebook Community Group Netflix Bangers Hits 1 Million Members
Netflix Bangers, the Facebook community run by, global publisher LADbible Group, has today hit the milestone of one million members.
Facebook Expands Support For 2FA Security Keys On Mobile
You can now set up two-factor authentication and log into Facebook on mobile using a security key.
You Can Now Control Who Comments On Your Facebook Posts
Facebook has introduced a new feature that lets you control who can comment on your posts when shared in the …