Lecture 8 Flashcards
(54 cards)
What ancient devices were among the first attempts to measure time using natural elements like water and sunlight?
Sundials and water clocks
Why were water clocks not suitable for long intervals of time?
They were bulky, heavy, and froze in cold climates
What type of clock was developed in China to work indoors and at night?
Candle clock
What hazardous issue made candle clocks less effective?
Fires
Which timekeeping device used melting wax to trigger a metal sound?
Candle clock
What device was used in medieval Europe for precise indoor timekeeping but was expensive and short-duration?
Sand clock (hourglass)
Why couldn’t sand clocks serve religious purposes like waking monks?
They couldn’t function as alarm clocks
What external factor, alongside religion, drove the need for new timekeeping technology in medieval Europe?
Climate change
Why did the climate during the “Little Ice Age” make water clocks less practical?
Water inside would freeze, rendering them useless
Why was accurate timekeeping essential for monks in medieval Europe?
Missing morning prayers was considered a serious sin
What technological need arose from the combination of freezing weather and strict prayer schedules?
Alarm clocks that could work indoors
What does the Latin word clock actually mean?
Bell
What mechanism in mechanical clocks allowed for accurate time regulation by releasing one notch per minute?
Escapement mechanism
What part of the escapement mechanism allowed for constant tension and timed release?
Curved gears
What major philosophical shift occurred when mechanical clocks began to regulate daily life?
People lost their connection to the natural world
What metaphor was used to describe God’s role in a universe regulated by machines?
Supreme watchmaker
Who built the sacrarium, one of the most intricate medieval machines?
Giovanni de ’Dondi
What idea did the sacrarium challenge by functioning without divine intervention?
That God was necessary to operate the universe
What controversial implication did mechanical philosophy have during medieval times?
It was considered heresy to believe the universe ran without God
What was revolutionary about the idea that machines could function without divine assistance?
It shifted worldview from divine control to autonomous systems
Where were the designs for early mechanical clocks possibly sourced from, indirectly?
Islamic translations of Archimedes’ works
What long-term societal change began with mechanical clocks?
A shift toward dependence on technology for organizing life, separation from nature
Who was the monk credited with creating the first mechanical clock in medieval Europe?
Richard of Wallingford
What source may have influenced Richard of Wallingford’s clock design?
Islamic translations of Archimedes’ works
