There is nothing more beautiful that a nice old-fashioned pendulum clock. They come in many shapes and designs and add class to the home. But it is also a good idea to have digital clocks around the house.
Pendulum clocks use gravity as it energy source. Gravity is obviously consistent so time kept on a pendulum, or grandfather, clock is very accurate. But these clocks also rely on a system of weights to move the hands. If the weights get even slightly off balance, the time is thrown off.
With a digital clock, there is no such worry. There is no upkeep. All of these clocks employ quartz instead of a pendulum. Quartz is a crystalline mineral found naturally in the earth. Quartz used in watches and clocks is a synthetic form because it is more consistent.
As electricity passes through the quartz, the quartz vibrates. These vibrations are what cause accurate time. Quartz is the most accurate way of keeping time.
The face of the clock is displayed using LED's (light emitting diodes) or LCD's (Liquid Crystal Displays.) The sciences behind LED and LCD are another complicated discussion altogether. But for our purposes, it is good to know that a digital clock will use one of these two ways of displaying the numbers. They are efficient with power consumption and, unlike light bulbs, do not need to be replaced.
Digital clocks are even more accurate than grandfather clocks and are great to have around because they often come with other features. Nowadays, it's virtually impossible to find a digital clock without an alarm. Most also include a radio and/or CD player. These clocks run on electricity by being plugged in. Most times a battery can be used as backup power source in case the electricity goes out. This makes them just as reliable as a pendulum operated clock.
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