Lecture 7: Time Revolution Flashcards
How was time measured in pre-historic time?
The inventions of sundials and water clocks allowed the Sumerians to measure time
What was the biggest problems with waterlocks?
The waterclock cannot work during the medieval age as it will freeze at night
How did the Europeans solve this issue?
The Europeans will use the candle clock invented by ancient Chinese (c. 500 AD)
What was the purpose of the candle clock?
Its purpose was to create an alarm for society
What is the downside to the candle clock?
Expensive to produce and can create fire
Why were sand clocks hard to produce?
Expensive since it’s only exclusively produced in Florence, Italy.
What was the Abul-Abbas clock inspired by?
Built by Islamic scholars, the mechanical clock was inspired by Archimedes
What is the escapement mechanism?
It is the heart and the foundation of the mechanical clock such that the gears and and the knots are attached to a rod
Who is Su Song (c. 1094 AD)
An individual known to create the Su Song clock.
How does the Su Song clock work?
Similar to the mechanical Planeteria, the clock serves as a mechanical computer
How does time make an impact in religion?
In Europe, monks didn’t have control of time and lose track of morning prayer. This introduces an issue that drives religion to invent a new contraption
Who is Richard of Wallingford (C. 1327)?
He is a monk that introduce the mechanical clock to Europe but would only serve as an alarm clock
What device was invented in 1364?
The Giovanni de’Dondi of Astrarium is a mechanical computer that kept track of the calendar and the movement of planets.
Who is John Harrison?
He was a carpenter that built the H1, H2, H3, H4, and H5 clocks.
What was his objective?
He designed a clock that would measure the longitude time that was worth $9,000,000 USD (20,000 pounds)
What is the latitude and Longitude?
- Latitude (North/South): declination is the measurement between the horizon and sun
- Longitude (West/East): accuracy is 1 s/d, but is an impossible task as watches are 6 s/d.
What would the best clock gain/lose?
It can either gain or lose 1 to 20 minutes per day on land
Provide an explanation of Harrison’s clocks.
- The Harrison H1 (1736): The first marine clock that has the capabilities of adapting to environmental condition without losing/gaining time
- The Harrison H2 (1741): An improve model of the previous model
- The Harrison H3 (1759): More improve and smaller than the previous models
- The Harrison H4 (1761): The first watch that is capable of measuring seconds
- The Harrison H5: The most accurate and last watch of John Harrison, only lost 4 seconds in 10 days
What did James Cook confirm?
The Harrison H4 is accurate but shouldn’t be mass produce as enemies of the British will copy the mechanical device.
Why is John Harrison significant?
He was recognized as a historical figure, but the Royal Society did not believe that he wasn’t a scientist. This is due to his occupation of being a carpenter
Who is Patek Phillipe co.?
The first to invent the wristwatch in 1868
What is a good watch?
- An expensive watch like a rolex
Rolex is cheap to mass produce - Higher quality than it should be Patek Phillipe
Why is Patek Phillipe a technological retrogression?
It is an obsolete technology as modern watches like the apple watch, and the wristwatch is based on the aesthetics
When does time trial occur?
In 1700s to 1903, the best watchmakers would meet up in Britain and would be judged on their watch’s accuracy.
