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[–] 12 points 1 year ago (15 children)

I prefer "stopped clock," since broken clocks can often continue ticking, albeit at the wrong speed.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (12 children)

    A broken clock, whether it ticks too fast or too slow, is still right at least once every 24 hours, I think.

    The only exception would be one that ticks correctly but is not set to the right time (does this count as broken?)

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    Yeah but the full saying is "a stopped clock is still right twice a day"

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    Where in my comment did I ever suggest that I don't understand this?

    I was just reflecting on the comment that I was responding to, which was specifying that a broken clock may be running fast or slow, instead of being stopped.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago* (5 children)

    If a 24-hr clock is one second slow per day, its correct once every 236 years.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    I was thinking of an analog clock with 12 hours and no distinction of AM or PM... but if we're talking 24h clocks you are right.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    If it ticks faster than time than it would be right more than once (24hr time) a day, the faster it ticks the more times it will incidentally be correct (perhaps there is an allegory here..)

    A clock that ticks slower than time would be right less than once a day, but it can never....

    I feel like I need a simulator to understand this relationship actually....

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (1 child)

    I was thinking of analog 12hr clock with no distinction between AM and PM

    I wonder if your 24hr clock example would be more intuitive as frequencies and phases?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I was also visualizing the round analogue clock face, but didn't want to muddy the water by saying "twice" when I guess it's technically only once, just no am/pm delineation.

    I am puzzling over this at work now. I guess a fast clock could be right almost infinite times a day if it ran fast enough, but a slow clock can only be as slow as a whisper faster than stopped, which would mean it could be right alllllllllllllmost twice a day, but never twice a day.

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