Do digital clocks get slower like analogue ones do?

What did the digital clock say to the analog clock? Look, No hands!


Asked by: Anon

They don’t get slower in the same way, exactly, but the timekeeping of digital clocks can certainly drift. My mobile’s clock, for instance, loses a minute every few weeks unless I synchronise it with the phone network. But that’s different from the way analogue clocks slow down. In the case of analogue clocks, their mechanisms gradually grind to a halt as the clockwork spring loses the energy stored from being wound up. Digital clocks, on the other hand, work by counting cycles of pulses generated by timing chips within their circuits. The frequency of those pulses can fluctuate, affecting the clock’s accuracy.

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