A clock is an instrument to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time.
The word clock
is derived ultimately (via Dutch, Northern French, and Medieval Latin) from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece.[1] In general usage to day a "clock" refers to any device for measuring and displaying the time. Watche s and other timepieces that can be carried on one's person are often distinguish ed from clocks.[2] The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to consistentl y measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units: the day, the lunar m onth, and the year. Devices operating on several physical processes have been us ed over the millennia. A sundial shows the time by displaying the position of a shadow on a flat surface. There are a range of duration timers, a well-known exa mple being the hourglass. Water clocks, along with the sundials, are possibly th e oldest time-measuring instruments. A major advance occurred in Europe around 1 300 with the invention of the escapement, which allowed construction of the firs t mechanical clocks, which used oscillating timekeepers like balance wheels.[3][ 4][5][6] Spring-driven clocks appeared during the 15th century. During the 15th and 16th centuries, clockmaking flourished. The next development in accuracy occ urred after 1656 with the invention of the pendulum clock. A major stimulus to i mproving the accuracy and reliability of clocks was the importance of precise ti me-keeping for navigation. The electric clock was patented in 1840. The developm ent of electronics in the 20th century led to clocks with no clockwork parts at all. The timekeeping element in every modern clock is a harmonic oscillator, a physic al object (resonator) that vibrates or oscillates repetitively at a precisely co nstant frequency.[4] This object can be a pendulum, a tuning fork, a quartz crys tal, or the vibration of electrons in atoms as they emit microwaves. Analog cloc ks usually indicate time using angles. Digital clocks display a numeric represen tation of time. Two numeric display formats are commonly used on digital clocks: 24-hour notation and 12-hour Sundials Simple horizontal sundial When the Sun is shining, its apparent position in the sky moves during a day, re flecting the rotation of the Earth. Shadows cast by stationary objects move corr espondingly, so their positions can be used to indicate the time of day. A sundi al shows the time by displaying the position of a shadow on a (usually) flat sur face, which has markings that correspond to the hours.[7] Sundials can be horizo ntal, vertical, or in other orientations. Sundials were widely used in ancient t imes.[8] With the knowledge of latitude, a well-constructed sundial can measure local solar time with reasonable accuracy, within a minute or two. Sundials cont inued to be used to monitor the performance of clocks until the modern era.[cita tion needed] However, practical limitations, such as that sundials work only whe n the Sun shines, and never during the night, encouraged the use of other techni ques for measuring and displaying time. Devices that measure duration, elapsed time and/or intervals The flow of sand in an hourglass can be used to keep track of elapsed time. Many devices can be used to mark passage of time without respect to reference ti me (time of day, minutes, etc...) and can be useful for measuring duration and/o r intervals. Examples of such duration timers are, candle clocks, incense clocks and the hourglass. Both the candle clock and the incense clock work on the same principle wherein the consumption of resources is more or less constant allowin g reasonably precise, and repeatable, estimates of time passages. In the hourgla ss, fine sand pouring through a tiny hole at a constant rate indicates an arbitr ary, predetermined, passage of time, the resource is not consumed but re-used. Water clocks
Main article: Water Clock
A scale model of Su Song's Astronomical Clock Tower, built in 11th century Kaife ng, China. It was driven by a large waterwheel, chain drive, and escapement mech anism. Water clocks, also known as clepsydrae (sg: clepsydra), along with the sundials, are possibly the oldest time-measuring instruments, with the only exceptions be ing the vertical gnomon and the day counting tally stick.[9] Given their great a ntiquity, where and when they first existed is not known and perhaps unknowable. The bowl-shaped outflow is the simplest form of a water clock and is known to h ave existed in Babylon and in Egypt around the 16th century BC. Other regions of the world, including India and China, also have early evidence of