Will the world end on January 19th 2038 because of 32-bit computers?

Why is the number 2,147,483,647 important, and why could it be a problem for 32-bit computers?

As programmer Jad Joubran explains, it's all to do with the way modern computers count time. Today, they do it by counting the seconds to have elapsed since January 1st 1970.

This number of seconds is called the UNIX Timestamp.

The problem is that 32-bit computers can only count so far until all possible numbers that can be represented in 32-bit binary code are used up. And that upper limit will be reached on January 19th 2038, at precisely 03:47:07 UTC.

But will that really be a problem? Watch Joubran explain more below.

 

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• Topics
• Management
• Binary
• Prime
• Y2K
• UNIX