About clocks and wall clocks
About clocks and wall clocks |
|
| Written by Administrator | |
| Monday, 19 May 2008 00:00 | |
|
What You Need to Know about Clocks Clocks are instrument that measure and indicate time. Strictly speaking, clocks are devices with instruments capable of announcing the time intervals, and apparatuses that tells time but lacks such means is called timepieces. Clocks, in more common use, refer to any instruments that tell time and are not worn by a person. Elements of a Conventional Clock: a conventional clock has four main parts; namely, the power supply, the escapement, the going trains, and the indicators. The power supply keeps the other parts functioning. The power may come from a pendulum, a coiled spring, or a set of dry cells. Escapement is a system wherein power drains out in a repetitive and uniform manner instead of draining away all at once. There are several forms of escapement, each designed for different clock types but for similar function. The going train is a set of gears positioned in a way that it could control the rotation speed of wheels that move the indicators. Lastly, indicators show the output of the entire system. It can come in several forms like dials, hands and bells. Clock Indicators: there are several ways to display time. Clock indicators can be analog, digital, or auditory. Analog clocks use angles and moving dials to tell time. Conventional clocks and timepieces use clocks with line markers and dials to tell time. Sundials can also be classified as an analog clock and registering the time using shadow positions. Digital clocks, unlike analog indicators, use symbols to tell time. Numerical figures are commonly used, and they usually come in two formats - the 24-hour and the 12-hour notations. 24-hour notation uses numerical figure 00-23 while 12-hour notation uses numbers 1-12 and AM/PM indicators to tell time. Auditory clocks are clocks that indicate time using spoken language or a combination of bell chimes, etc. These clocks are made for convenience, for telephony, and for blind people. Clock Types: clocks use several techniques to tell time, each differing on the level of accuracy, the complexity of technology, and the cost for production. Clocks can be classified as either mechanical, crystal, atomic, radio, or solar. Sundials are one of the oldest means to tell time. Fixed dials and sun shadows are used to estimate time. Mechanical clocks use pendulums, wound spring and other mechanical devices to rotate the interlocking gears and the dials that indicate time. Crystal clocks utilize electronic quartz oscillator and counter to tell time. Most household clocks use quartz technology to tell time. Atomic clocks are clocks that use microwave oscillators or maser tuned by elements like Cesium to tell time. Such system provides the most accurate way to tell time. An atomic clock is said to lose a second only after a million years. They are so accurate they are used as basis for GPS navigation system as well as the official definition of time. Radio clocks are clocks that are capable of receiving signals from remote transmitter, decoding such transmission and displaying its output. They normally receive signals from atomic clocks and have a data rate of 1bit/sec. 
|
|
| Last Updated ( Sunday, 03 August 2008 10:24 ) |