system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How does a computer know how much is 1 second?
gpt
Computers use a hardware device on the motherboard, usually an integrated circuit that is constantly powered, to keep time. Most real-time clocks count seconds using a crystal oscillator. This is a device that operates by converting the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal (like quartz) into an electrical signal with a precise frequency.