Sunday, 10 May 2009

The thing about Hertz

Hertz is a unit of frequency, defined as the number of cycles per second. In electrical terms, our appliances work on 110 or 220 volts at either 50hz or 60hz. So if you use an radio-alarm clock in the US which was designed to be used in the UK, it will gain time because of the difference in hertz (which controls the speed of the time). Likewise, we gain twenty minutes each day using our radio-alarm clock on the Africa Mercy, because the generators don't produce an even 50 or 60 hertz. It struck me in the middle of the night that this is worthy of blogging about, although in the cold light of day it seems slightly less interesting. Anyway, each night I re-set my alarm clock before I go to sleep, and every morning it goes off ten minutes earlier than it should do. Fascinating. Olly

1 comment:

3rd Wave Inc said...

An alarm clock is a necessity in every household to keep us on time with our daily activities especially if you're always on the go.