How Does A Wall Clock Work
All machines including timekeepers need energy to work.
How does a wall clock work. By providing constant frequency movement clock s mechanisms can capture those oscillations and transform them into precisely timed series of pulses that show us exact passage of time. The energy is usually stored in a weight or spring. To speed the clock up the pendulum bob should be raised up by turning the nut to the right. When the mainspring slowly unwinds it puts a series of parts in motion which results in the turning of the gears.
When you wind a weight driven clock you pull on a cord that lifts the weight. When it is wound energy is transferred from our muscles and into the driving weight as it moves up against the force of gravity or the mainspring as it tightens up. To slow the clock down the pendulum bob should be lowered by turning the nut to the left. Initially they all had pendulums and gears.
A dial and hands that indicate the time. Perhaps the most important component inside a mechanical clock is known as the escapement. A weight that stores potential energy and releases it to the clock mechanism as it falls very gradually over the course of a day or several days if you re lucky. Every mechanical clock needs energy to run.
Winding your clock actually winds an internal mainspring. Take a peek under the hood and learn what makes each kind tick. Here are some of the most common oscillators. One turn of the nut should impact the clock by about two minutes in a 24 hour period.
A summary of how clocks work. Clocks are one of the very first complex machines created by humans. That gives the weight potential energy in the earth s gravitational field. In summary then the key parts of a pendulum clock are.
Winding the clock raises the weight back up storing more potential energy to power the mechanism. See more pictures of timepieces. Caesium clocks in braunschweig germany. A rubber ball when held at a certain height above the ground has a certain amount of potential energy which rapidly converts to kinetic energy after it is dropped.
Physical harmonic oscillator is the key component of every modern clock. As we will see in a moment the clock uses that potential energy as the weight falls to drive the clock s mechanism.