Mechanical Clocks
⭐ MasteredEarly people told time with sundials and water clocks. Mechanical clocks with gears and springs appeared in Europe in the 1300s. Today atomic clocks are incredibly accurate.
Atomic clocks lose less than a second in millions of years.
All about Mechanical Clocks
Early people measured time using sundials, water clocks and candle clocks. Mechanical clocks with gears, weights and springs were developed in Europe in the 1300s and allowed time to be measured more accurately, even in cloudy weather.
Clocks changed daily life, helping people organise work, school and travel. Today, atomic clocks use the vibrations of atoms to measure time with extraordinary accuracy, and they help run GPS and the internet.
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Real-life uses of Mechanical Clocks
- Telling the time at school and at home
- Organising train timetables
- Synchronising computers and phones
Frequently asked questions about Mechanical Clocks
What is a sundial?
A device that uses the shadow cast by the Sun to show the time of day.
Why are atomic clocks so accurate?
They measure time using the very steady frequency of atoms, which vary very little.
Who invented the first mechanical clock?
The inventor is unknown, but mechanical clocks appeared in Europe in the late 1200s and early 1300s.