The smallest tick
Two sprinters, A and B, finish a short race. A wall clock reads 12 s for both. Who won?
Step 1 of 3
- A wall clock ticks once a second. A tick is its smallest time step. Both read 12 s. A tie.
- A watch ticks every 0.1 s. Both read 12.4 s. Still a tie.
- A sports timer ticks every 0.01 s. Now A wins.
A ran 12.46 s and B ran 12.49 s. A took less time, so A won. A clock needs 0.01 s ticks, or smaller, to show this.
The new word
- Tick — the smallest gap of time a clock can show.
The rule
A clock cannot show a gap smaller than its smallest tick. To tell close times apart, use a smaller tick.
Sprint races are timed to hundredths of a second, or even thousandths. A hundredth of a second is 0.01 s.
Now try it. Slide to a smaller tick. Can the clock tell the sprinters apart?
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