electric clock

An electric clock is any clock operated by electricity. These can range from clocks with electric motors that wind springs or weights, to those where a pendulum is kept in motion by electromagnetic impulses. Some electric clocks are part of a system with a master clock that controls multiple other clocks. Others, particularly those using synchronous electric motors, rely on the frequency of the electrical power source to keep time.1

The concept of a clock, in general, is a machine that uses a regularly moving device to track time through a counting mechanism. While early mechanical clocks were large and tower-mounted, the invention of the spring-driven portable clock and the application of the pendulum significantly advanced timekeeping. Electric clocks offer alternative power sources and methods for time indication.2