What are free clocks?

Free clocks are clocks that keep time without needing to be told what time it is.

Imagine you have a toy car that moves on its own, no one needs to push it or tell it when to go. That’s like a free clock: it just keeps ticking and telling the time by itself, without anyone having to remind it.

Most clocks need someone (or something) to set them, like when you adjust your phone's clock to match the real time. But free clocks are different. They use special rules or patterns that let them know how much time has passed all on their own.

Think of a pendulum in an old grandfather clock. It swings back and forth, keeping steady time because it’s following a rule, like how you bounce up and down when you jump rope. That’s the kind of free clock that never needs help from outside to keep going.

These clocks are super useful for things like computers and phones, where they need to know the exact time without asking anyone else!