# Every snooze button grants 9 minutes... Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835 "2006-10-17T21:42:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/21 "2006-10-18T09:45:39Z")
[QUOTE=longhair75] my alarm clock is not adjustable, but the snooze interval is seven minutes rathehr than nine [/QUOTE] Mine is 7 minutes too. It’s very old. At least 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/22 "2006-10-18T09:51:23Z")
okay, now I need to test the snooze button on my cd player alarm clock Not right now, because I need to get to work soon. Somebody remind me? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/23 "2006-10-18T09:59:38Z")
[QUOTE=chrisk] Somebody remind me? 😃 [/QUOTE] Sure, I’ll let you know in 9 minutes. [This](http://www.bimbambanana.com/index.php?p=Puzzle-alarm-clock-cool-gadgets&side=visProd&prod_id=21) is the alarm clock for compulsive snoozer-button pushers. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/24 "2006-10-18T11:46:43Z")
I have pondered on this question, and I think the reason is close to one of those that Cecil discarded: > [@](#): > > (8) On a digital clock, nine is the greatest interval obtainable by advancing some sort of “snooze counter” on the ones column. But why mess with the ones column? Why not put the snooze counter on the tens column and advance that by one? Well, I don’t know how digital clocks work, but it seems logical that, if you hit the snooze button while the time is reading XX:Xa, with a nine-minute snooze, the clock can ignore all the X digits of the time, and simply trigger when the final digit reaches (a-1). Nine minutes is the longest interval that can be timed this way, assuming the clock “checks” each second/cycle/whatever. If the clock checked for the final digit to equal _a_ itself (i.e. a 10 minute interval) then more complex checks would be needed to stop the alarming re-triggering as soon as you hit the snooze button, while the time was still XX:Xa. However, as I don’t have an alarm clock to hand, I can’t test this. Can anyone test this: if you hit the snooze button at, say, 7:35 and 25 seconds, does the alarm sound again at 7:44 and 25 seconds, or at 7:44 precisely? If the former, then it’s clearly just a nine-minute timer, but if the latter then my theory might have something to it. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/25 "2006-10-18T12:58:39Z")
[QUOTE=asterion] There is a GE alarm clock I can highly recommend. Something like $10 at Wal-Mart and it has a nap feature, a variable snooze feature, and an alarm that gradually gets louder rather than blaring from the start. I don’t remember how variable the snooze is, because I never use it anyway. [/QUOTE] Ah but does it have the most important feature…an on/off button for the alarm that I can’t find in my sleep! (When I lived alone, I just superglued the alarm button to ON, but roommates get annoyed about that.) I’m still looking. I’ll keep the gradual alarm in mind, that sounds pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/26 "2006-10-18T13:05:01Z")
“Snooze buttons” are for moral degenerates, who in their sloth (they will never amount to anything anyway) and stupor can’t even get out of bed on time. /s I had a room-mate once, though, who set his alarm for 2:30, say, and hit the snooze button until 6 or so. Completely nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/27 "2006-10-18T13:30:08Z")
[QUOTE=redtail23] Ah but does it have the most important feature…an on/off button for the alarm that I can’t find in my sleep! (When I lived alone, I just superglued the alarm button to ON, but roommates get annoyed about that.) I’m still looking. I’ll keep the gradual alarm in mind, that sounds pretty good. [/QUOTE] So, I have this special ability: Regardless of my ability (or lack therof) to figure out how to use an alarm clock when I’m awake, I can turn any alarm clock off in less than 10 seconds in my sleep. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/28 "2006-10-18T13:33:24Z")
I’ve even heard about people hitting the damned button in their sleep (I think I’ve done so myself a few times)… ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/29 "2006-10-18T14:46:56Z")
Last time I flew on an airliner, I was flipping through the little magazine they give you, and this guy was reviewing an alarm clock that came equipped with a pair of knobby wheels. When the alarm went off, the wheels started spinning, and you’d have to go catch it to turn it off. He said the only downside was that the clock could only survive being thrown angrily into a wall a couple of times before it broke. Actually, I think there is an alarm clock that you snooze by throwing it at a wall (the flip side being that the next time it goes off, you have to figure out where it rolled to after it hit the wall) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/30 "2006-10-18T15:06:26Z")
[This](http://www.latestbuy.com.au/sonic_grenade_alarm.html) is the alarm for the hard to rouse. No bloody snooze button here. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/31 "2006-10-18T15:16:36Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] Last time I flew on an airliner, I was flipping through the little magazine they give you, and this guy was reviewing an alarm clock that came equipped with a pair of knobby wheels. When the alarm went off, the wheels started spinning, and you’d have to go catch it to turn it off. He said the only downside was that the clock could only survive being thrown angrily into a wall a couple of times before it broke. [/QUOTE] That’s [Clocky](http://www.clocky.net/) the brainchild of an MIT student. It’s actualy in production now and, according to the website, will be available this November! I’m sorely tempted to try one… ---
**Author:** ![homeskillet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@homeskillet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homeskillet)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/32 "2006-10-18T15:38:47Z")
[QUOTE=redtail23] Ah but does it have the most important feature…an on/off button for the alarm that I can’t find in my sleep! [/QUOTE] Well if it’s the same model I have, and sounds like it is, that’s the only downside, the OFF button is right next to the SNOOZE button. All these great features and one humongous design flaw! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/33 "2006-10-18T18:33:26Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] … However, as I don’t have an alarm clock to hand, I can’t test this. Can anyone test this: if you hit the snooze button at, say, 7:35 and 25 seconds, does the alarm sound again at 7:44 and 25 seconds, or at 7:44 precisely? If the former, then it’s clearly just a nine-minute timer, but if the latter then my theory might have something to it. [/QUOTE] I know on my alarm clock, it’s the latter. The radio comes back on right when the minute changes, never part way between minutes. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/34 "2006-10-18T18:42:52Z")
[QUOTE=homeskillet] Well if it’s the same model I have, and sounds like it is, that’s the only downside, the OFF button is right next to the SNOOZE button. All these great features and one humongous design flaw! :smack: [/QUOTE] Yow! No can do, no way, no how. I think I may have looked at that one and DQd it for just that reason. It looked good, except for that major problem. ---
**Author:** ![Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roboto)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835/35 "2006-10-18T20:08:30Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] [This](http://www.latestbuy.com.au/sonic_grenade_alarm.html) is the alarm for the hard to rouse. No bloody snooze button here. [/QUOTE] I hope that thing is built to last . . . I think almost any groggy and pissed off recipient of that alarm would rather break the thing rather than go to the trouble of finding the pin. Or just throw it out the window. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-snooze-button-grants-9-minutes-why/376835.md?page=1)