<P> Digital electronic stopwatches are available which , due to their crystal oscillator timing element , are much more accurate than mechanical timepieces . Because they contain a microchip , they often include date and time - of - day functions as well . Some may have a connector for external sensors , allowing the stopwatch to be triggered by external events , thus measuring elapsed time far more accurately than is possible by pressing the buttons with one 's finger . Stopwatches that count by 1 / 100 of a second are commonly mistaken as counting milliseconds , rather than centiseconds . The first digital timer used in organized sports was the Digitimer , developed by Cox Electronic Systems , Inc. of Salt Lake City Utah ( 1971 ) . It utilized a Nixie - tube readout and provided a resolution of 1 / 1000 second . Its first use was in ski racing but was later used by the World University Games in Moscow , Russia , the U.S. NCAA , and in the Olympic trials . </P>
<P> Digital electronic stopwatches are available which , due to their crystal oscillator timing element , are much more accurate than mechanical timepieces . Because they contain a microchip , they often include date and time - of - day functions as well . Some may have a connector for external sensors , allowing the stopwatch to be triggered by external events , thus measuring elapsed time far more accurately than is possible by pressing the buttons with one 's finger . Stopwatches that count by 1 / 100 of a second are commonly mistaken as counting milliseconds , rather than centiseconds . The first digital timer used in organized sports was the Digitimer , developed by Cox Electronic Systems , Inc. of Salt Lake City Utah ( 1971 ) . It utilized a Nixie - tube readout and provided a resolution of 1 / 1000 second . Its first use was in ski racing but was later used by the World University Games in Moscow , Russia , the U.S. NCAA , and in the Olympic trials . </P>
three athletic events that use the si system of measurement
three athletic events that use the si system of measurement
World University Games in Moscow , Russia U.S. NCAA Olympic trials
World University Games in Moscow , Russia U.S. NCAA Olympic trials