this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2026
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A backwards ticking clock appears accurate more frequently than a stopped one.
Thinking about it, if the clock runs backwards at the same rate, so -1 hour per hour, the rate of randomly being right is 2x the stand-still rate. This is also a linear function, at -1 its 4x per day, -0.5 is 3/d, 0 is 2, 0.5 is 1. When it runs true it is however very different, as it is either always exactly right (no offset) or never (with offset).
A broken clock running 6x its speed will also be correct much more often than a stopped clock.
I think that's why this sort of phrase never made much sense to me, because in the same sense that the broken clock is right, a working clock with an offset (technically all of them) is almost never right (as you mention). Maybe it extends the metaphor, though, because while the working clock is never completely accurate, it's much more useful by being closer to the truth the vast majority of the time.
How have I not heard this before... It seems more relevant then ever these days
Where I'm from the saying is a little different: "A broken clock is still accurate twice a day"
Same, my comment is an extension of that more common notion.