Nowadays in smartphones, computers or even in smart watches there are two types / form of watch display: one with clock hands and the second is simply three or four numbers (for example: 19:12). Can I call them simply as "clock hand form" or "digital numbers form"? I tried to find out something about my question in a dictionary (using "clock hands") but I really didn't find. What are these two form of display called?
1 Answer
They are called "analog" and "digital" clocks, respectively.
Analog is a general term that means "of or relating to a mechanism that represents data by measurement of a continuous physical variable." So you can use it to describe any measuring device that uses some physical movement to make a measurement: a mercury thermometer or a car speedometer with a moving needle are "analog" devices, as is a clock with hands that move.