Ideltérést

Ideltérést is a term used in Hungarian to denote a time offset or time difference between two clocks, signals, or events. It derives from idő (time) and eltérés (deviation or difference) and, in sentence form, ideltérést appears as the accusative object of the concept.

Time offsets can arise from several sources, including clock drift, processing or transmission delays, and intentional adjustments for synchronization. The offset describes how much one reference is ahead of or behind another. It is distinct from latency, which refers to signal propagation time, and from jitter, which describes variability in timing.

Offsets are typically measured by comparing timestamps from different sources against a reference clock, using systems such as GPS time, network time protocols, or specialized time-transfer methods. In practice, engineers distinguish a static offset (a relatively constant difference) from dynamic fluctuations due to network conditions or clock stability. Techniques often involve averaging measurements and filtering to obtain a reliable offset estimate, along with metrics for accumulated error and jitter.

Applications of the concept span distributed computing, telecommunications, astronomy, geodesy, and finance. In these fields, precise time alignment is crucial for correctly sequencing events, correlating data, and ensuring data integrity. Remedies for unfavorable offsets include clock synchronization protocols, frequency stabilization, and deliberate time-reference adjustments to maintain coherence across systems. See also time synchronization, clock drift, latency, and jitter.