We all have seen this clock whenever we visited Union Square. Like most tourists, I thought the 15 digits represented the US Debt. While the digits are very close, current US debt is about $21,000,000,000,000- so the clock is off by 1 digit.
The following video explains what each clock digit means.
- Let’s say the first 7 seven digits are 1133483 – means that it has been 11 hrs 33 mins and 48.3 seconds since midnight.
- The 8th digit isn’t really that important.
- And, the last seven digits are 3112612 – meaning there is still 12 hrs 26 mins and 11.3 seconds until midnight.
I thought the same thing when I was younger. As a kid, I would always marvel at the numbers, asking what they stood for. Some people said debt, some said time. When taking Macroeconomics, my professor touched upon this exact subject to go into our debt. It’s crazy how it’s rising steadily and it makes me question how we as a country would handle it to be honest. As time progresses, this very clock is almost metaphorical, a parallel, to our current situation.