Time #4

Pendulum Clock

Over the years, several improvements were made to the mechanical clock, making it increasingly accurate. In 1657, the Dutch inventor Christiaan Huygens was granted a patent for a new invention: the pendulum clock.

By ensuring that the hands were regulated by a pendulum moving back and forth, the clock continued to run evenly.

To prevent the pendulum from running out of momentum after just a few minutes, it must be given a gentle nudge every so often. The oldest pendulum clocks used a weight as their power source (which had to be pulled back up after a certain amount of time). Later clocks were often powered by a coiled spring, which had to be rewound regularly.

A pendulum clock requires precise adjustment of the pendulum; otherwise, the clock will run too fast or too slow. The swing period of the ideal pendulum is determined by the length of the pendulum arm.

Most clockworks have a pendulum with a weight whose; height can be adjusted with a screw. If the clock is running slow, the pendulum is shortened, if the clock is running fast, the weight must be lowered.

Once again, I used only old jeans for this project.