Clocks that properly represent time.

[Willowz]

I was wondering about two types of clocks that I see often. One is continuous in manner and the other ticks from one second to the next.

Which clock properly represents time?

Personally, I think time should be represented as a flow and not in unitary fashion. What do you think?

 

[KingNothing]

I prefer digital clocks. To be honest I don't understand why those "discrete second" clocks get made. It doesn't help the user tell time, and I bet it costs a bit more to make than the "continuous second" clocks.

 

[russ_watters]

I prefer digital because they are easier to read.

 

[lisab]

I was wondering about two types of clocks that I see often. One is continuous in manner and the other ticks from one second to the next.

Which clock properly represents time?

Personally, I think time should be represented as a flow and not in unitary fashion. What do you think?

Interesting point of view...so you don't like quanta of time ?

 

[DaveC426913]

It was discovered in about grade 8, that my son had no idea how to read a clock face, having theretofore only experienced digital clocks.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Originally clocks ticked, and jumped forward in increments of a second, as a natural consequence of the pendulum/escapement mechanism. This was no longer necessary after electrical clocks, (but some electrical clocks seem to have been designed to imitate that anyway). I have two nice, electrical alarm clocks from the 60's or 70's that don't tick, and the second have runs in a continuous motion. One of the reasons Tesla recommended that Westinghouse adopt a 60 cycle grid was so that clocks could keep time off the grid. Each revolution of their motors was in a fixed ratio to the 60 cycles and the gearing could be set up accordingly.

Quartz, battery operated clocks and watches with analog faces all seem to tick. I don't know if that is necessary or an affectation.

I definitely prefer second hands that have a continuous motion. However, I put up with a quartz, battery operated clock because it's more convenient not to have to deal with an electrical cord.

 

[DoggerDan]

It was discovered in about grade 8, that my son had no idea how to read a clock face, having theretofore only experienced digital clocks.

Did you restrict his meals until he figured it out? Took my son about 20 minutes.

 

[Chi Meson]

I prefer digital because they are easier to read.

Kinda the opposite with me: whenever I look at the digital time, I need to picture where the minute hand would be in order to get a "feel" for what time it is or how much time is left. To me, 30 degrees means 5 minutes.

 

[Chi Meson]

Quartz, battery operated clocks and watches with analog faces all seem to tick. I don't know if that is necessary or an affectation.

I definitely prefer second hands that have a continuous motion. However, I put up with a quartz, battery operated clock because it's more convenient not to have to deal with an electrical cord.

I can't stand the tick tick tick. I found a nice clock that has a very quiet tick tick, and is also radio-synchronized to keep exact time. It even changes with DST. And looks like a traditional clock and because of this clock, my six-year-old Benny (On shoulders<======)(but he's only three there) can tell time.

 

[Andre]

Defective clocks are the best, at least they have the time exact twice a day, whereas any working clock has a slight error, which reduces the times that it indicates the exact time maybe every so many years

 

[Monique]

I was wondering about two types of clocks that I see often. One is continuous in manner and the other ticks from one second to the next.

Which clock properly represents time?

Personally, I think time should be represented as a flow and not in unitary fashion. What do you think?

I think we should all pay more attention to the oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus

 

[phinds]

I guess if you've got a lot to get done between one second and the next it could be annoying that your clock hand jumps from one to the other without showing you a nice smooth flow as you go about doing all those things. I mean, here you are half way from one second to the next and you've got a lot left to do but you're not sure how much time there is left to do it in. Guess that could be annoying.

 

[DaveC426913]

Did you restrict his meals until he figured it out? Took my son about 20 minutes.

Har har.

It isn't a matter of intellectually "figuring it out", it's a matter of whether it becomes second nature or whether he has to read and translate every time.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I can't stand the tick tick tick. I found a nice clock that has a very quiet tick tick, and is also radio-synchronized to keep exact time. It even changes with DST. And looks like a traditional clock and because of this clock, my six-year-old Benny (On shoulders<======)(but he's only three there) can tell time.

Personally, I would teach my kids to read a sun dial, and do away with ticking and electrical cords and batteries altogether, but sundials have the drawback of not being much good at night. Or when it's overcast. Or raining. Also, I don't have any kids.

 

[mishrashubham]

I don't find any problem with ticking clocks; unless of course they make too much noise.

 

[Willowz]

Does time flow in units? I'm not an expert, but wondering if describing in units (quanta) is proper.

 

[Proton Soup]

I think we should all pay more attention to the oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus

i've been meaning to, as i think it's got something to do with brainwave patterns in sleep when most external stimuli are being ignored, but I've just been too lazy to dig into it. iirc, there's more than one oscillator, too.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Does time flow in units? I'm not an expert, but wondering if describing in units (quanta) is proper.

I asked about this some years back. The answer I got was that people have proposed, now and then, that some minimum unit of time be specified, but there doesn't seem to be any natural quantum of time, so no one is very enthusiastic about the idea.

 

[phinds]

I think what IS clear is that if time IS quantized, the level of quantization is well below our ability to detect it. Still, it DOES matter to some theories, as I understand it, so I'm sure the topic's not dead.

 

[Chi Meson]

I think what IS clear is that if time IS quantized, the level of quantization is well below our ability to detect it. Still, it DOES matter to some theories, as I understand it, so I'm sure the topic's not dead.

It's not so much that time is discretely quantized, but there is a limit, known as Planck time, where any duration of time shorter than 10^-42 seconds is basically unmeasurable. So there is a physical limit to how short time can be measured which is way way way way way below our current technological limit.

 

[Willowz]

There is one problem that my puny mind encounters when thinking about time in units. It just doesn't explain the flow of time; just stops on measurements. That is, the passing of one tick to the next tock.

 

[DaveC426913]

There is one problem that my puny mind encounters when thinking about time in units. It just doesn't explain the flow of time; just stops on measurements. That is, the passing of one tick to the next tock.

Do you have the same problem with other measurements? When you drive down the road, do you imagine you only are only moving when the odometer ticks over one mile?

 

[I like Serena]

Kinda the opposite with me: whenever I look at the digital time, I need to picture where the minute hand would be in order to get a "feel" for what time it is or how much time is left. To me, 30 degrees means 5 minutes.

When I look at a digital clock, I picture in my mind where the minute hand would be.
But when I look at an analogue clock, I convert the hours to a number in my mind!

 

[KingNothing]

I believe analog clocks have no real advantages over digital clocks. Of course people who grow up with a certain type of clock might prefer it, but I think if in 50 years no child learns to read an analog clock, and they aren't used, it won't be a big deal.

 

[Willowz]

Do you have the same problem with other measurements? When you drive down the road, do you imagine you only are only moving when the odometer ticks over one mile?

I'm not sure what you are getting at. But, I am inclined to believe that I am moving when I see some change.

 

[DaveC426913]

I believe analog clocks have no real advantages over digital clocks. Of course people who grow up with a certain type of clock might prefer it, but I think if in 50 years no child learns to read an analog clock, and they aren't used, it won't be a big deal.

Analog clocks provide a more intuitive experience of time than do digital clocks. There is a strong binding of physical motion with the passage of time. This reinforces it in your mind in the same way a musical score and a film scene complement each other. Ten minutes is intuitively twice five minutes, both visually and temporally. By intuitive, I means requiring fewer brain cycles to process.

Notwithstanding a given person's previous experience and familiarity with one or 'tother of course.

 

[edward]

I am not particular about clocks, but at my age I want a watch that I can take my pulse with.

The one below is not that watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh14NrjBhpc&feature=related

 

[Proton Soup]

I think we should all pay more attention to the oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus

OK, I'm feeling a bit slow today, but i think maybe you're suggesting that the oscillator is acting a bit like a global clock in a CPU? meaning that we would experience input, say like something visual, at a sampled interval. if so, then we are mixed analog-discrete systems, and when we experience something like the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon-wheel_effect" with continuous lighting in real life, this is simply because of aliasing wrt our internal sample rate ?

 

[Monique]

Time in your brain flows, that's what I meant. It's proteins being synthesized and broken down in a cyclic manner, leading to a phase of approximately 24 hours. When sitting in complete darkness that clock will inform you of the passing of time and that doesn't happen in a unitary fashion.

It's not a perfect clock: like the old mechanical clocks it needs to be set to the appropriate time once in a while, a good thing: otherwise yet-lag would really be a big problem

On my wristwatch only 12, 3, 6, and 9 are indicated and there is no pointer for the seconds that pass by. Sometimes it's hard to tell what time it is, then I just take into account my biological clock. I probably have a completely different point of view than the physicists here

 

[I like Serena]

My biological clock tells me to stay in bed in the morning.
The clock next to my bed tells me to go hurry up or other people will be wondering where I am.

I use my digital clock to give my biological clock as much leeway as possible.