Katrina Fox

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The movement of the Earth’s tilt buys us an extra 20 minutes and 24.43 seconds per orbit. So the true sidereal (literally, “of the stars”) year based on the orbit is longer than the Julian calendar, but the tropical year based on the seasons (which we actually care about) is shorter. It’s because the seasons depend on the tilt of the Earth relative to the sun, not on the actual position of the Earth.
Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World
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