Python time clock() Method
Description
The method clock() returns the current processor time as a floating point number expressed in seconds on Unix. The precision depends on that of the C function of the same name, but in any case, this is the function to use for benchmarking Python or timing algorithms.
On Windows, this function returns wall-clock seconds elapsed since the first call to this function, as a floating point number, based on the Win32 function QueryPerformanceCounter.
Syntax
Following is the syntax for clock() method −
time.clock()
Parameters
NA
Return Value
This method returns the current processor time as a floating point number expressed in seconds on Unix and in Windows it returns wall-clock seconds elapsed since the first call to this function, as a floating point number.
Example
The following example shows the usage of clock() method.
Live Demo#!/usr/bin/python import time def procedure(): time.sleep(2.5) # measure process time t0 = time.clock() procedure() print time.clock(), "seconds process time" # measure wall time t0 = time.time() procedure() print time.time() - t0, "seconds wall time"
When we run above program, it produces following result −
0.0 seconds process time 2.50023603439 seconds wall time
Note − Not all systems can measure the true process time. On such systems (including Windows), clock usually measures the wall time since the program was started.