Exploring Alternative Timekeeping and Clock Architectures

A standard day is composed of 24 hours.

If you find yourself questioning why the United States resists the transition to the metric system, perhaps you should first examine the inherent inconsistency of the time measurement system we all accept.

Is it possible to engineer a more intuitive time system—one where reading and converting units is seamless? Should we maintain the current volume of hours, minutes, and seconds? The following concepts examine various non-traditional clock designs.

The Conventional Clock

For enthusiasts of the metric system, calculating time is often a frustrating experience. The division of a single day into 24 hours, with each hour containing 60 minutes and each minute containing 60 seconds, feels logical arbitrary, despite its deep historical roots.

• Pros: The aesthetic is classic and ahem "timeless."
• Cons: I find it inefficient that the hour hand must complete two full rotations to mark one day.

The Decimal (Base 10) System

Imagine slicing the day into exactly 10 hours, where each hour consists of 100 minutes, and each minute consists of 100 seconds.

In this system, mathematical operations become trivial; calculating time is simply a matter of shifting the decimal point. However, the temporal experience changes: the "decimal second" is faster than a standard one.

$\text{Decimal Second} = 0.864 \times \text{Standard Second}$

The Binary (Base 2) Clock

Designed specifically for the "geek" crowd, this system is less about utility and more about the aesthetic of base 2. It is not particularly practical, as a single binary "second" spans a duration of three hours. Because these clocks only refresh upon loading or when a "second" passes, you would need to check back every three hours to witness a hand actually move.

The Hexadecimal (Base 16) Clock

This design caters to those who prefer hexadecimal notation. In this layout, the labels on the clock face should range from 1 through F.

The 36(0) Degree Clock

Created at the request of a user, this system is a tribute to the 360 degrees of a compass. It utilizes 36 hours, 60 minutes, and 60 seconds.

Because the day is stretched across 36 hours instead of 24, the duration of minutes and seconds is reduced: $\text{Duration} = \frac{2}{3} \text{ of a normal minute/second}$

Looking back at the code for this clock (written around 2012), I am struck by how rigid and inflexible my early programming style was. The current implementation struggles with label placement and lacks a system for independent tick marks.

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Comparison of Time Systems

Logic Flow of Time Conversion

Technical Implementation

If you were to look at the underlying logic for the 36-hour clock, it might look something like this (simplified):

function calculate36HourTime(standardSeconds) {
    const totalDaySeconds = 86400;
    const ratio = standardSeconds / totalDaySeconds;
    const hours = Math.floor(ratio * 36);
    // Inflexible 2012-style logic
    return `Hour: ${hours}`; 
}

Future Improvements

• Implement independent tick marks for the 36(0) clock.
• Refactor the 2012 legacy code for better flexibility.
• Add more user-suggested time systems.

If you have an idea for a new time system, please reach out—adding them is quite simple. Alternatively, if you enjoy coding, feel free to hack the source and implement your own custom format!