Clock Drift - Clock Drift in Normal Clocks

Clock Drift in Normal Clocks

Normal clocks such as clocks at home and wristwatches usually drift compared to the actual time. This is why it is necessary to reset them occasionally. Clocks often drift differently depending on their quality, the exact power they get from the battery, the surrounding temperature and other environmental variables. Thus the same clock can have different clock drift rates at different occasions.

Mechanical watches drift much more than quartz ones, but they are designed to drift ahead rather than behind, so that the watch gains time, making it easier to set the time to the second with the hack (stop mechanism) function.

More advanced clocks and old mechanical clocks often have some kind of speed trimmer where one can adjust the speed of the clock and thus reduce the clock drift. For instance, in pendulum clocks the clock drift can be manipulated by slightly changing the length of the pendulum. The formula of Fast drift is dc/dt>1.

Read more about this topic:  Clock Drift

Famous quotes containing the words clock, drift, normal and/or clocks:

    The source of poetry that
    seeing the clock stopped, says,
    The clock has stopped

    that ticked yesterday so well?
    William Carlos Williams (1883–1963)

    To drift with every passion till my soul
    Is a stringed lute on which all winds can play,
    Is it for this that I have given away
    Mine ancient wisdom, and austere control?
    Methinks my life is a twice-written scroll
    Scrawled over on some boyish holiday
    Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)

    It is normal to give away a little of one’s life in order not to lose it all.
    Albert Camus (1913–1960)

    Weighing the steadfastness and state
    Of some mean things which here below reside,
    Where birds like watchful clocks the noiseless date
    And intercourse of times divide,
    Henry Vaughan (1622–1695)