Lecture 7: Time Revolution

Question 1

How was time measured in pre-historic time?

Answer 1

The inventions of sundials and water clocks allowed the Sumerians to measure time

Question 2

What was the biggest problems with waterlocks?

Answer 2

The waterclock cannot work during the medieval age as it will freeze at night

Question 3

How did the Europeans solve this issue?

Answer 3

The Europeans will use the candle clock invented by ancient Chinese (c. 500 AD)

Question 4

What was the purpose of the candle clock?

Answer 4

Its purpose was to create an alarm for society

Question 5

What is the downside to the candle clock?

Answer 5

Expensive to produce and can create fire

Question 6

Why were sand clocks hard to produce?

Answer 6

Expensive since it’s only exclusively produced in Florence, Italy.

Question 7

What was the Abul-Abbas clock inspired by?

Answer 7

Built by Islamic scholars, the mechanical clock was inspired by Archimedes

Question 8

What is the escapement mechanism?

Answer 8

It is the heart and the foundation of the mechanical clock such that the gears and and the knots are attached to a rod

Question 9

Who is Su Song (c. 1094 AD)

Answer 9

An individual known to create the Su Song clock.

Question 10

How does the Su Song clock work?

Answer 10

Similar to the mechanical Planeteria, the clock serves as a mechanical computer

Question 11

How does time make an impact in religion?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Who is Richard of Wallingford (C. 1327)?

Answer 12

He is a monk that introduce the mechanical clock to Europe but would only serve as an alarm clock

Question 13

What device was invented in 1364?

Answer 13

The Giovanni de’Dondi of Astrarium is a mechanical computer that kept track of the calendar and the movement of planets.

Question 14

Who is John Harrison?

Answer 14

He was a carpenter that built the H1, H2, H3, H4, and H5 clocks.

Question 15

What was his objective?

Answer 15

He designed a clock that would measure the longitude time that was worth $9,000,000 USD (20,000 pounds)

Question 16

What is the latitude and Longitude?

Answer 16

1. Latitude (North/South): declination is the measurement between the horizon and sun
2. Longitude (West/East): accuracy is 1 s/d, but is an impossible task as watches are 6 s/d.

Question 17

What would the best clock gain/lose?

Answer 17

It can either gain or lose 1 to 20 minutes per day on land

Question 18

Provide an explanation of Harrison’s clocks.

Answer 18

1. The Harrison H1 (1736): The first marine clock that has the capabilities of adapting to environmental condition without losing/gaining time
2. The Harrison H2 (1741): An improve model of the previous model
3. The Harrison H3 (1759): More improve and smaller than the previous models
4. The Harrison H4 (1761): The first watch that is capable of measuring seconds
5. The Harrison H5: The most accurate and last watch of John Harrison, only lost 4 seconds in 10 days

Question 19

What did James Cook confirm?

Answer 19

The Harrison H4 is accurate but shouldn’t be mass produce as enemies of the British will copy the mechanical device.

Question 20

Why is John Harrison significant?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Who is Patek Phillipe co.?

Answer 21

The first to invent the wristwatch in 1868

Question 22

What is a good watch?

Answer 22

1. An expensive watch like a rolex
   Rolex is cheap to mass produce
2. Higher quality than it should be Patek Phillipe

Question 23

Why is Patek Phillipe a technological retrogression?

Answer 23

It is an obsolete technology as modern watches like the apple watch, and the wristwatch is based on the aesthetics

Question 24

When does time trial occur?

Answer 24

In 1700s to 1903, the best watchmakers would meet up in Britain and would be judged on their watch’s accuracy.

Question 25

When was the first pocket watch introduce?

Answer 25

In 1903, Switzerland produce the pocket watch

Question 26

Why did Britain do not want to mass produce pocket watches?

Answer 26

Although inexpensive to manufacture, the pocket watch symbolize the status of the wealthy

Question 27

When was the Seiko quartz introduce?

Answer 27

In 1968, the Seiko quartz was 10x more accurate and is the new symbol of technology

Question 28

Why did Switzerland refuse the change?

Answer 28

The production was move to Japan in 1969, and Switzerland, view the Seiko Quartz as ugly and not pleasing

Question 29

What was made in 1950?

Answer 29

It was the Atomic clock that theorize the concept of time travel.
Invented from the inspiration from Albert Einstein’s theory

Question 30

What is the purpose of the Atomic clock?

Answer 30

It measures the difference of time based on the relative speed of the object

Question 31

Why is mechanical clocks important to the scientific revolution period (Renaissance period)?

Answer 31

1. It changes the perspective of the universe and their surrounding
2. It introduces the mechanical philosophy and would make a belief that the world is governed by mechanical properties instead of a supernatural force