Does your digital clock gain time?

[teamsaint]

serious question, (and its not an obscure euphamism !).

Ours always gain time. I set them 15 mins ahead of the real time, set an alarm time which I almost never alter (though its unspeakably early) and the clock always gains time. Probably a few minutes a week . The old clock did this too.

Does this happen to anybody else?

About the only up side of all this is that it is set so that I catch the last 20 mins of TTN, which is generally better than what follows..... the Ravel Piano trio was a lively start to today!!

[Bryn]

Some gain, some lose, and some get corrected daily by the MSF signal from the Anthorn Radio Station in Cumbria.

[Don Petter]

Some gain, some lose, and some get corrected daily by the MSF signal from the Anthorn Radio Station in Cumbria.

And some from Frankfurt, as in my case.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Most digital clocks/watches that are not radio-controlled are more accurate than the DAB time-signal with its compression delay.

[teamsaint]

quite. Digital watches seem to be accurate to an extraordinary degree. So why not mains powered clocls?

[Bryn]

My understanding is that mains powers synchronous motored clock are, on average, accurate over each day. However, since the nominal 50Hz UK mains frequency is varied slightly through the day, such clocks do drift very slightly in tandem. However, the total number of cycles per day should be spot on at 4320000 cycles.

[Petrushka]

The time on my mobile phone maddeningly gains several minutes each day and needs constant adjustment. Is there no way of permanently rectifying this?

[Don Petter]

The time on my mobile phone maddeningly gains several minutes each day and needs constant adjustment. Is there no way of permanently rectifying this?

Perhaps you are travelling too near the speed of light?

[Petrushka]

Perhaps you are travelling too near the speed of light?

On my daily commute via East Midlands Trains?

[Frances_iom]

The time on my mobile phone maddeningly gains several minutes each day and needs constant adjustment. Is there no way of permanently rectifying this?

buy a new phone ? - I have a cheap Samsung and it seems to keep accurate time and also attempts to access a time source when switched on from cold

[Pabmusic]

Perhaps you are travelling too near the speed of light?

No! The faster you travel, the slower time passes. You do not understand the general theory of relativity (specifically, time dilation). Go to the back of the class!

[Don Petter]

No! The faster you travel, the slower time passes. You do not understand the general theory of relativity (specifically, time dilation). Go to the back of the class!

You may be right. Though if time slows down, but the clock runs the same, would it not appear fast? My head hurts - probably the dilation.

[teamsaint]

Its not a quick line, so that explains the time gain.
Solved . Hurrah !!

[Pabmusic]

You may be right. Though if time slows down, but the clock runs the same, would it not appear fast? My head hurts - probably the dilation.

It applies to every situation. If you get up and walk across the room, but your partner/friend/significant other/insignificant other remains seated, then you reach the other side younger, in relation to your partner/friend/significant other/insignificant other, than you were when you stood up, since time has passed slower for you than it has for your partner/friend/significant other/insignificant other. If you look at your watch, you'll see it is slow - or would appear so if it were able to measure such an infinitesimally small unit of time. Time is simply a fourth dimension of space, together with height, depth and width. Simple. (The clock would run slower as time slowed down - in fact everything would run slower, including your voice - like a 78 rpm record winding down!)

[Don Petter]

If you get up and walk across the room, but your partner/friend/significant other/insignificant other remains seated, then you reach the other side younger, in relation to your partner/friend/significant other/insignificant other, than you were when you stood up, since time has passed slower for you than it has for your partner/friend/significant other/insignificant other.

Ah! Thanks - I wondered why she looks older than I remember every time I get across there. (But I still don't think I'll mention it, in case she doesn't understand the technical reasons.)