Article
Article
Clock (mechanical)
Article By:
Atkinson, Robert D'E. Formerly, Department of Astronomy, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Duncombe, Raynor L. Formerly, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.141400
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- Clock (mechanical), published June 2014:Download PDF
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A mechanical device for indicating the passage of time. Most clocks contain a means for producing a regularly recurring action, such as the swing of a pendulum, the oscillation of a spiral spring and balance wheel, the vibration of a tuning fork, the oscillation of a piezoelectric crystal, or the comparison of a high-frequency signal with the radiation from the hyperfine structure of the ground state of atoms. This article describes the refinements of mechanical clocks. See also: Atomic clock; Quartz clock; Watch
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