Sometimes when you look at an analog clock with hour/minute/second hands, the second hand looks like it moves backwards initially for 1 tick then looks normal after that. Why?

Question

Sometimes when you look at an analog clock with hour/minute/second hands, the second hand looks like it moves backwards initially for 1 tick then looks normal after that. Why?

In: Other

Answer 1

The second hand on a clock can sometimes appear to move backward due to an optical illusion called stroboscopic effect or aliasing. Seeing the movement of the hand at certain intervals, can cause it to appear as if it’s moving in reverse or jerking.

Also, sometimes the movement mechanism has a brief pause or jump as the hand moves, which can also give the impression of backward movement.