Sponsor: Get 75% off NordVPN with this link: nordvpn.com/steve and use the promo code steve to get the first 30 days free.

He actually chained flipflops together for that joke, what a hero

He actually made a flip flop chain. Here good sir, have my like.

I have been a software engineer for 33 years and involved with electronics for over 40 years and truly this is one of the best explanations that I've ever seen for how frequency division works just an outstanding job!!!

A quartz watch is often significantly more accurate than a second per day. But the clock in your car is also a quartz clock, and you've likely noticed that they must be adjusted often. The reason is that you're wearing the crystal on your wrist which has a constant temperature. Your car gets hot and cold depending on the weather, and the crystal's thermal expansion changes its vibration frequency.

13:53 You do need 15 flip flops and you had 16 hung up. You buy flip flops in pairs :)

You don't have to explain what a flip flop is, I'm a redstone engineer

I've been on a rabbit hole of learning how a computer works. I learned about transistors, gates, memory, cpu, gpu... Of course I don't understand everything, but this video is exactly what I was looking for to understand how it actually works. Thanks!

A long time ago, when I was doing my GCSEs, I went to a STEM event where you were one of the presenters. If I remember correctly you demonstrated harmonic resonance patterns in sand on a vibrating plate. You were a huge inspiration for me getting into STEM. I went from that event and ended up getting an electronic engineering masters, and now I'm nearing 30 and working as an FPGA engineer watching you explain flip flops with flip flops. 😂 Thank you for everything you do Steve, you inspired this engineer to find his dream career. I hope one day I can do the same for the next generation.

"I am not going to explain what a flip flop is", proceed to provide the best explanation I have every heard.

This is the best explanation of piezoelectricity and quartz watches out there, thank you so much!

Really loved your video ; especially the " chain of flip flops ". Thank you for taking the time to explain a rather difficult operation into terms all us can understand. Keep up the great work. Can't wait for your next video. 😁😁😁

Steve, I found your illustration remarkably comprehensible. They way you started with basic questions that how to keep the oscillation going and regulate it is the key to build the watch is evidence that you really understand how learning happens. Thank you!

"I've actually got a redundant flip-flop here. You don't need 15; you need 14. That was my mistake; that's called an off-by-one error." - Steve, as he holds the leftmost flip-flop in a chain of 16

You just taught us concepts of physics, chemistry, math and programming. Amazing!

This video is a high quality, comprehensive, yet communicated in an ever-engaging way. Not easy to pull off! The overall effect is is right up there with "The Secret Life of Machines" IMO. Bravo

wasnt even thinking about steve mould, i was just wondering how a quartz watch works and here steve mould is explaining it better than anyone thank you steve mould

This is one of the very best videos I have seen on KZfaq ever. There is no hype, no BS, just very clear, concise, and easy to follow explanations.

Explaining flip-flops with flip-flops. I love it!

Best content on KZfaq. Great job. Consistently provide interesting, informative and not bogged down with any hyper dramatic music and over production. Thanks for being better than the masses. You truly deserve awards and riches. We, as a society, seem to value and reward all the wrong things.

Very good. Been reading a book on the history of time keeping, so felt the need to see proper video to demonstrate how the quartz movement works. And this certainly helped.

I'm a computer engineering student and right now I am laughing out loud to your representation of flip flops.😂 keep up the good work sir.👍

this video should be declared official learning in schools, colleges, and everywhere... Every bit and bytes are valuable.

He always seems so happy to explain these complicated processes. It’s so cool to see things like this.

I find the way you explain things, and that you remind us of what we just learned as you build in new knowledge is the clearest of anyone I've seen. Thanks!

Steve spotted at a local convenience store "I'd like 7 and 1/2 pairs of flipflops please"

Man! I've been working with timing circuits since 1979. Mostly 555 for all my personal circuits, but quartz for the old analog TV subcarrier frequency (3,58 MHz). Quartz controlled timers just worked like magic and that was that. I never fully understood them until now. I totally understand the piezo-electric effect. I busted open dozens of stove lighters, tweeters, but never had someone like yourself to explain it so well to me. I ought to have regrets, but it would not matter--just happy to have bumped into your video regardless how late. All I had to do was bust open a crystal and look at it under a microscope to realize it was a tuning fork shape device. My lame imagination of the shape was a 'salt crystal' with two wires which some factory worker chipped away at with a tiny chisel until the numbers were right. If they chipped away too much, then they start with a new fat crystal. Thanks and bless you for taking the time to do this.

You're an amazing teacher Steve. Your passion for science is inspiring. Thanks a lot for spreading knowledge :)

As an Electronic Engineer can I say this is just awesome - the flip flop bit was genius. I love all watches, particuarly Seiko and have a mechanical KS56 from 1971 accurate to 1s/day but I also have high end Quartz models from the late 70s accurate to 10spy and 5spy - these were so expensive back then they were out of reach of everyone but you can get good examples if you know what you are looking for. Seiko were masters of the Quartz movement and the end result was high precision thermocoupled quartz crystal timepieces like the Grand Quartz and Superior Quartz, an exercise in Japanese opulence

You do need 15 flip-flops! You miss counted your chain, you have 16 on that wall! Amazing video! Subscribed 🙏

As an educator I am seriously envious of your capabilities as an educator. If my students knew about you they'd wish they had you for first period instead of me 🤔😁

this video has the most complete information to understand quartz watch and no one else come close. well done steve!

Great video. That answered a couple of things I never knew about quarts watches. Thanks! Side note: plenty of mechanical watches can easily keep time better than one second per day. The one I wear daily gains about half a second per day. But, a couple of my quartz watches are within a couple of seconds per month, so still better in that way. Still, there aren’t many times I’ll put on a quartz and leave the mechanical at home.

LOL, Never have I seen someone explain Flip-flop circuits using actual flip-flops.

I can't get over the fact that there were 16 flip flops, and he thought there were 15.

It's always been fascinating to me how Quartz Crystals are so important for digital timing circuits

exceptional explanation Steve, haven't seen these level of teaching on youtube.

Minecraft redstone taught me what a "flip-flop" circuit is.

You didn't mention Casio's trick: Early quartz watches were not particularly accurate until Casio started calibrating their crystals at 37 degrees C... The body temperature of the wearer is used to keep the watch accurate.

This blew my mind up!!!! Thanks so much for your amazing content.

For anyone who didn’t understand the explanation of flipflop chains, it’s basically a chain of 1:2 gear ratios but with electric speed and precision

This is crazy, I’m currently taking a basic electronics course and I just learned about logic gates, crystal rectifiers, and pretty much all of the stuff he went rover in this video. In fact I have a test on it tomorrow and this just helped further my knowledge.

Steve: "That's called an off by one error, happens a lot in programming" Me, a programmer: *vietnam flashbacks*

I was looking for a good explanation on how quartz watches work. This is about the best explanation I could find. Thanks, Steve.

That’s absolutely the best explanation I’ve heard about the subject. Amazing educational skills! Thank you very much for the content

I rate this video 9.7/10: flip-flop redundancy is a costly error.

Every second of this video was really valuable. Thank you for sharing !

Fun and educational! One always knew that there was something ticking inside watches, but it was a mystery how quartz watches converted the vibrations into counting time. Thanks a lot!

Brilliant explanation of flip flops, I did this in my A levels two decades ago and never grasped the Vale of flip flops. Thank you.

Thank you so much for mentioning the Accutron! Most people who explain quartz watches neglect to mention the Accutron, even though it is the predecessor to the quartz system.

This was way cooler than I was expecting! Props (or flops) to you for actually chaining together the flip flops and using that to explain it. that totally helped make sense!

What an outstanding video!! It takes a special gift to be able to explain very technical concepts in an easily understandable way. Thank you, sir!!

Being a Watchmaker myself I got to say brilliantly explained.

"That's called an 'off by one' error. Happens a lot in programming." *throws headphones* *screams in C#*

I know i am waaay late to this video, but... what an awesome video. I understood the basics of a quartz watch, but this really cleaned up the details. I have always been a fan of quartz, and this video solidifies how so important they are to the industry. well done

You are a true genius. Very few experts can explain with such authority. Wow, Steve!

"If you let it vibrate then it will eventually die down" **actually waits to see the ruler stop vibrating**

I've spent most of my life as a programmer, and really enjoyed this video. Not just informational but almost stand-up-comedic. The flip-flops chain made laugh and made my day; Wish there were more such people on earth.

Still rewatching your videos from years ago. I really love your teaching style Steve! Oh and when you brought Destin to your back yard and asked him his thoughts on the wich way the water will come out of the spout that you constructed he said the right way but I think it's because he is an engineer 😉 if it were a aka normal everyday joe everyone's intuition would be the water will drag behind aka "trailing" behind circular movement but what happens is completely opposite what you would assume. And wow wow wow, I was amazed 👏🏼,

its just a joy to watch you explain. You're an amazing teacher. After a full master of theoretical physics I've for the first time really understood these parts (apart from learning them). Further, I think its even more funny how you found out about your off by one mistake. Its great to find joy in them.

This should be the benchmark for all purposes of teaching.

Did you just use a chain of literal flip-flops to explain binary?

Your flip flop method helped me a lot You visualized something highly abstract so even I could understand.

What a lovely, succinct, and easy to understand video. Bravo! I had fun learning about this :)

As a computer scientist, the T-flip flop binary counter was the cutest explanation of the concept I've ever seen. The effort and will put into it was amazing. I immediately felt at home as soon as you mentioned the quartz' frequency. Thanks a lot for this truly great explanation of quartz watches!

Was watching this video on my tv. I had to run upstairs and grab my phone just so I could write this comment. This is an EXCELLENT explanation. Great video, subscribed!

absolute mad lad. clear concepts and interesting explanations 💯

Excellent explanation as always. I really like the informal style and enjoy the humor!

8 pairs of hardly used flip flops for sale on ebay now.

"So, how DO you divide your time?" "With Poundland flip-flops obviously." Seriously, clever visualization. thanks!

Need more of these videos, very well described!

Great explanation of how the quartz crystal oscillator works. Amazing both in its simplicity as with its ingenuity!

LMAO, I've never seen someone explain how a flip-flops works with flip flops. Good job.

4:36 Everytime they get too close to you, you push them away. same. same....

Fantastic presentation and eloquent delivery.

Love your work! Wish I'd had teachers like you!

As a school kid I was curious to understand how a electronic clock worked and ended up spoiling one (got thrashed for that). I didn't have resources or reading materials back then in 90's in India :( . But now I feel relieved or enlightened. Thanks you Steve. Really enjoyed your video.

"My bad you actually need 14 cuz this is 15 and i have one to many" actually has 16 flip flops

the flip flop demonstration dropping the frequency is crazy, thanks for the video :)

Amazing video explaining the quartz to keep time!! Down to the nuts and bolts!! Thank you Sir!

Your explanations are just on point. I'm a CS student, had a semester of flipflop explanations but somehow your simple flipflop explanation explained more 😍 Keep doing what you love my man. God bless your life

I know how a 'flip-flop' circuit works, I've built a few... ...that chain of flip-flops though! I cant get the image out of my head, lol

I keep coming back to this and the barbecue lighter piezoelectric video. All your videos are great for conversational fun-facts and also fun home experiments!

Brilliant video mate, you described better than any other video I've seen, thanks a million Steve.

Explaining flip-flops with flip-flops. Subbed AF.

Great explanation. I always thought that it was just tiny dragons tapping their talons to electronic dance music but the more you know.

This is so far the best video explaining quartz watches

Just got into your channel from SmarterEveryDay. It takes a great mind to be able to explain things concisely and make them accessible to the average person, and you absolutely nail it. Good stuff.

I always find it funny when watch snobs say "you'll never find me with a quartz watch. Mechanical watches are superior." Literally the only thing a watch is supposed to do is keep time, and quartz watches keep better time. I had a $5 quartz watch that kept time way better than most mechanical watches. Don't get me wrong I love mechanical watches. They're amazing pieces of engineering, and they're beautiful, but they don't keep good time, and if you don't wear them all the time they stop running (which means you're constantly adjusting it whether you wear it or not). Even losing 5 seconds (which is pretty accurate for a mechanical) is a lot of time loss. I have a pretty cheap Casio that has a 10 year battery and only gets about a minute off every 4-5 months.

Todo claro, seriedad, claridad, profundidad. Muchas gracias

Superb video. As an Electronics Engineer, I appreciate Digital watches just as much as mechanical watches. We did a mini project in College to create a digital LCD clock using 8051 Microcontroller.

As an Electrical Engineer, I have to salute the fact that you demonstrated flip flops using flip-flops. The idea would never have occurred to me, and it's GENIUS.

I realized before the animation started playing, that your chain of flip flops is naturally a binary counter. That's pretty cool. So every time it counts to 32,768, it ticks and resets.

Nicely explained. I thought I knew how crystal oscillators worked but I learned something about quartz watches, thanks!

Brilliant explanation comfortably spoken!

Been waiting for this follow up. Keep up the great videos!

"You know a pendulum swing takes one second" Actually I never thought about that before hahahaha

I decided to open up an old broken watch I have and I saw the circuit board. I had no idea a watch had a circuit board and then I found this video. Thank you for this masterpiece!

This was so good man. Excellent content.

finally understood a little of the device i wear everyday! thanks steve.