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Posted on October 24, 2007 by Jason Petrina | Posted under History
History of Clocks
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One of the most ancient ways of determining the passage of time was to follow the passage of the seasons and phases of the mood for longer periods of time such as months and seasons. The sundial was initially invented to measure the passage of shorter periods of time such as hours and minutes. This type of clock was used by measuring the direction of shadows. While this type of clock was used frequently during ancient times, it was certainly not the only type of clock to be used. Ancient people also used other methods such as measuring the passage of time with candles that were known to burn down as known speeds. Another ancient invention, the hourglass, could also be used to determine the passage of time by pouring fine sand through a small hole at the top of the device. The sand would empty through the hole during a one hour period. The ancient Egyptians developed a clock technique known as the clepsydra. This method used the passage of flowing water. Mechanical clocks are not believed to have been developed until sometime around the 9th century, at which time an escapement mechanism was used to measure the passage of time. Tower clocks were invented in the 12th century, announcing the passage of time not with dials but with bell signals. Spanish Muslim engineers were quite predominant in developing clocks; working to spread the knowledge of clock development through a large majority of the world. The clocks manufactured by these engineers were weight driven. Mercury escapements were used as well. These clocks were known to keep very accurate time and were used by the people of the time for astronomical purposes in observatories. While these clocks were known to be accurate, they were not as accurate as the tower clocks that were developed in Northern Italy by monks to announce the times between prayers. Clocks during earlier times grew increasingly more accurate, they were not very resilient. Eventually clocks were developed that were able to survive the passage of time. The clock in London, Big Ben, is one of these clocks. The pendulum clock was then developed in the mid-17th century. The idea of the pendulum clock was actually first developed by Galileo; however, it was not until 1657 that another inventor was able to come up with a mathematical formula that allow the device to work properly. The first anchor escapement was later developed. Eventually the idea of minute hands and second hands emerged, allowing clocks to develop even further. At this time, clocks became more widely available to the public, as they were able to be produced in larger quantities. Toward the end of the 17th century, clock cases were first manufactured of wood and enamel began to be used on clock faces. A few years later, the first patent for a clock was issued, to Eli Terry. This eventually led to the emergence of American clock production. Since that time clocks have continued to develop and emerge, finally into the production of electronic clocks as well as clocks that would cease to contain any of the original clockworks. About The Author: Jason Petrina is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com |
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