How Do ‘Clocks’ Work Without a Battery?

Clocks can work without a battery because they use springs and gears. When you wind up the clock, it stores energy in a spring, like stretching a rubber band. As time goes on, the spring slowly unwinds, making the gears turn and keep the clock ticking. This is why you have to wind your old clocks sometimes, it’s just giving them more power to run!

Take the quiz →

Examples

When you wind a clock, it’s like giving it a spring to keep it moving.
A mechanical clock works like a toy car, it stores energy and uses gears to move forward.
If the spring in your watch breaks, it won’t keep ticking because it can’t store energy anymore.

Ask a question

Discussion

Recent activity

Categories: Math · clocks,energy,math,timekeeping