Five Seconds

Start the clock, then stop it as close to five seconds as you can. The digits keep running until you press Stop. Early and late both count — only the distance from 5.000 matters.

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Rules and help

How to play Five Seconds

A clock shows seconds and milliseconds, starting at 0.000. Press Start, then press Stop when you believe the clock is exactly on 5.000 seconds.

The clock

Two digits before the point are seconds, so five seconds reads 05.000. The three digits after the point are milliseconds. The time is taken the moment you press Stop (or the space bar), not when you release. What you see after the stop is the time that is scored.

Scoring

Your result is how far you were from 5.000 seconds. Stopping at 4.980 is 0.020 seconds early. Stopping at 5.020 is 0.020 seconds late. Those two results are equal. Exact means 5.000, to the millisecond.

Your best result and the number of tries stay on this device. Try again sets the clock back to 0.000 without clearing them.

While it is running

The clock does not pause if you switch away from this tab. The digits catch up when you come back. Press Stop whenever you are ready, even after five seconds have passed.

Tips

  • Use the space bar if you have a keyboard. It is steadier than chasing the button with a pointer.
  • Press, don’t wait for a click to finish. The time is taken on the press itself.
  • Watch the seconds change from 04 to 05, then stop as the milliseconds come back to 000.
  • A few quiet tries in a row are usually closer than rushing the next one.

Playing on a phone or tablet

Tap Start, then tap Stop. The time is taken when your finger touches the button. The button stays in the same place for every try.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see the clock while it runs?
Yes. Seconds and milliseconds stay on screen the whole time. The challenge is stopping on 5.000, not guessing in the dark.
What is a good result?
Within a few hundredths of a second is close. Within about a hundredth is excellent. 5.000 exactly is a perfect stop.
Where is my best time kept?
In this browser, on this device. Clearing site data for Play Solo removes it. Nothing is sent to a server.
Does leaving the page pause the clock?
No. Time keeps passing. When you return, the digits show the real time since you pressed Start.

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