Tanya Gupte- Origin and development of clocks

History of design

Topic: Origin and development of clock

“Research in history involves developing an understanding of the past through the examination and interpretation of evidence.” 

A clock is a device used to measure and show time. It is one of the man’s earliest inventions. It has evolved a lot over the millennia. 

Before 1500 A.C

The  moon was the first instrument used to measure time. The time elapsing between successive new moons(or other phases of moon) was known as lunation. In a year there are a total of 12 lunations. So therefore it was used by primitive people to make calendrical year.

Along with the moon, the sun was also a source of measuring time. Cro-Magnon is believed to have used rods of wood driven into the ground to measure the length of each day.

1400 A.C -Egyptian Clepsydra

 

A water clock or clepsydra is a timepiece by which time is measured by the regulated flow of liquid into or out from a vessel, and where the amount is then measured. Invented to record time during periods of no sunlight for sundials, water clocks are one of the oldest time-measuring instruments. The bowl is known to have existed in Babylon, Egypt,Persia, India and China.

1300 A.C -The luxor Obelisc

It was built by Ramesses. The obelisks were carved to stand on either side of the portal of luxor temple. It was used as sundial.

The Astrolabe

Its invention is attributed to Hipparchus of Nicea. They were used to tell the time and determine latitude. It was the main navigation instrument until the invention of the sextant in the 18th century. Muslim mariners used them to calculate the prayer timetable and to locate Mecca. The astrolabe in the image dates from the 18th century.

200 A.C -Alexandria Clepsydra

This was a water clock invented by Ktesibios around 200 B.C . Alexander the Great founded" Alexandria on the edge of the Nile delta; a capital that attracted the elite of the time. Ktesibios, one of this elite, applied the principles of hydraulics and mechanics to clocks and helped this craft progress by giving the clepsydra dials and hands which enhanced its precision. 

849-899 A.D -Fuel combustion clock

It was invented by Alfred the Great an Anglo Saxon king (849-899 A.D.) In order to break up the day into three eight hour phases, he manufactured candles which showed how much time had passed as they burned. Oil lamp clocks, which were common in 18th century Germany and France, were invented later. A small glass receptacle full of oil indica ted the hours as the oil was consumed.

1200 – The Sundial

A sundial is a horological device that tells the time of day when direct sunlight shines by the apparent position of the sun in the sky. As the Sun appears to move through the sky, the shadow aligns with different hour-lines, which are marked on the dial to indicate the time of day.

1300-1400 -Hourglass

The sandglass or hourglass is a relatively new invention as a means for measuring time. These clocks were frequently used up to as late as16th century, by mariners, the clergy and in the first factories.

1400- Mechanical clock

The first mechanical clock was invented in Europe. the movement of these clocks were controlled by weights. 

1500 -Wrist Watch

In 1504, the first portable timepiece was invented in Nuremberg, Germany by Peter Henlein. It was not very accurate. The first reported person to actually wear a watch on the wrist was the French mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).

1656- Pendulum Clock

The pendulum clock was invented by Christian Huygens, making clocks more accurate. A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a pendulum, a swinging weight, as its timekeeping element.

 

Mechanical Alarm Clock

The first mechanical alarm clock was invented by American Levi Hutchins of Concord, New Hampshire, in 1787. However, the ringing bell alarm on his clock could ring only at 4 a.m. In 1876, a mechanical wind-up alarm clock that could be set for any time was patented by Seth E. Thomas.

By: Tanya Tejas Gupte

22BDC045

 

Citation:

https://www.britannica.com/science/month

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_clock

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_Obelisks

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrolabe

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ctesibius-of-Alexandria

https://www.thoughtco.com/clock-and-calendar-history-1991475#:~:text=The%20first%20mechanical%20clocks%20were,day%20timekeeping%20pieces%20of%20today.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundial

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_timekeeping_devices#:~:text=The%20most%20famous%20mechanical%20clock,built%20for%20the%20first%20time.