# TernaryClock — Balanced ternary time > Balanced ternary clock dividing the day into 27 hours, minutes, and seconds. (iPhone/iPad app by Chiel Zwinkels.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ternaryclock/id6761714021 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Chiel Zwinkels](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869126511) - Category: Graphics & Design, Education - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.6 · 1 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-04-08 - Data updated: 2026-07-22 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ternaryclock/id6761714021/reviews.md ## What is TernaryClock? This is a balanced ternary clock. It divides the day into 27 hours. Each hour is divided into 27 minutes, which are in turn divided into 27 seconds. This means that the ternary hour is a bit shorter than a standard hour, while the ternary minute is about twice as long as a standard minute. The ternary second lasts for about 4.4 standard seconds. This is quite close to what psychologists call the ‘extended present’, the duration of time we experience as ‘now’. The display is made out of ‘trits’, ternary digits that can each have 3 values. The lowest value is ‘\’, the center value is ‘|’ and the highest value is ‘/’. You can think of these as representing 0, 1, and 2, but there are other (and perhaps more fitting) ways of thinking about them as well, such as ‘−1, 0, +1’, ‘down, center, up’ or ‘left, middle, right’. Unbalanced number systems, like the standard decimal system or the binary system that computers use, do not have a center value. Their most basic ingredients are 0 and 1, and negative numbers need a special sign. In balanced ternary, this is different. You can think of it like using a compass: North and South are opposite directions, but neither of them is more fundamental than the other. In balanced ternary, you can use a single digit to denote the North Pole, the South Pole or the equator (the balance point). As you add more digits, you can describe your North–South position with increasing accuracy. This way of counting is very well suited for keeping track of things that rotate, like the passage of the day (which tracks the rotation of the Earth around its axis). In this clock, the day is divided into 19683 equal steps. At noon, all the digits are centered at ‘|’. At midnight, the display flips over from its highest value, ‘///·///·///’ to its lowest value ‘\\\·\\\·\\\’ and the next day begins. Interestingly, the exact opposite of noon is not a ‘tick’ of the clock but rather the moment halfway between the highest and lowest value. Midnight is a boundary that the clock approaches and then passes over but never quite lands on. This is a fundamental property of any balanced number system: there is only one precisely defined center, and on the opposite end of that is ‘infinity’, a value that cannot be expressed precisely as a number. ## Key features - Balanced ternary time display - 27-hour day division - Ternary digits ('trits') - Unique time representation - Visualizes 'extended present' ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ternaryclock/id6761714021/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Interesting Idea and Works Great *2026-04-10* Very interesting to see how this unique clock works, and has a lot of nice customization features. ## Frequently asked questions about TernaryClock ### What is TernaryClock? TernaryClock is a unique clock application that displays time using a balanced ternary number system. It divides the day into 27 hours, each hour into 27 minutes, and each minute into 27 seconds, offering a different way to perceive time. ### How does TernaryClock represent time? TernaryClock uses 'trits', which are ternary digits that can have three values: '\', '|', and '/'. These represent values like 0, 1, 2 or -1, 0, +1, allowing for a balanced representation of time. ### What is the 'extended present' in TernaryClock? The app aims to align with the 'extended present', a psychological concept of the duration of time experienced as 'now'. The ternary second in this clock lasts approximately 4.4 standard seconds, which is close to this perceived duration. ### What is the significance of balanced ternary? Balanced ternary systems, unlike decimal or binary, have a center value and do not require a special sign for negative numbers. This makes them well-suited for tracking cyclical events like the passage of a day. ### How does TernaryClock handle noon and midnight? At noon, all ternary digits in TernaryClock are centered at '|'. Midnight is represented as the transition from the highest value ('///·///·///') to the lowest value ('\\\·\\\·\\\'), marking the beginning of a new day. ### Is TernaryClock available on multiple devices? Yes, TernaryClock is supported on iPhones, iPads, and iPods, making its unique time display accessible across various Apple devices. ### What is the age rating for TernaryClock? TernaryClock has an age rating of 4+, indicating it is suitable for children and adults alike, with no mature content. ### When was TernaryClock last updated? TernaryClock was last updated on April 9, 2026, with version 1.0. This indicates a recent release or update for the application. ## Version history (last 1 release) ### 1.0 — 2026-04-09 No release notes. ## More apps by Chiel Zwinkels - [Pentatone](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pentatone/id6757822197) All apps by Chiel Zwinkels: https://appshunter.io/developer/1869126511 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-22.*