Antikythera mechanism
The Antikythera mechanism used interlocking bronze gears to represent astronomical cycles. Recovered from an ancient shipwreck, its surviving fra...
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Precision, Measurement & Control · 25 entries
The Antikythera mechanism used interlocking bronze gears to represent astronomical cycles. Recovered from an ancient shipwreck, its surviving fra...
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An astronomical clock shows celestial information as well as ordinary time. Gearing can represent the Sun, Moon, calendar and other cycles throug...
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Su Song's water-powered clock tower combined astronomical displays, time signals and an elaborate transmission system. His illustrated treatise r...
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A verge escapement releases a clock's gear train in alternating steps through pallets mounted on a rotating shaft. Paired with a foliot or balanc...
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A pendulum clock uses the regular swing of a pendulum to regulate its movement. An escapement sustains the oscillation while releasing the drivin...
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A longcase clock encloses a weight-driven movement and long pendulum in a tall cabinet. The case protects the mechanism and provides space for th...
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A marine chronometer keeps a stable time reference aboard a moving ship. Comparing reference time with local astronomical observations helped nav...
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John Harrison's H4 used a compact watch-like movement to tackle the problem of accurate timekeeping at sea. Its successful trials helped demonstr...
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A pocket watch encloses a spring-driven timekeeping movement in a portable case. Miniature gearing, escapements and balance systems made personal...
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A sextant measures the angle between two visible objects using mirrors and a graduated arc. At sea, measuring a celestial body's height above the...
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A theodolite measures horizontal and vertical angles through a mounted sight or telescope. Its graduated circles and controlled rotation made it...
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An astrolabe represents the sky through a rotating framework over a graduated plate. It can relate celestial positions to time and direction thro...
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A micrometer converts rotation of a fine screw into a small, measurable linear movement. Its scale and controlled contact allow precise measureme...
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A vernier caliper measures outside, inside or depth dimensions with sliding jaws and a secondary scale. The vernier lets the user read fractions...
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Gauge blocks provide accurately finished reference lengths for measurement and inspection. Blocks can be joined by wringing their flat surfaces t...
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A dividing engine marks precisely spaced graduations on instrument scales. Controlled gears, screws and indexing mechanisms reduced the dependenc...
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A centrifugal governor senses rotation speed through the outward movement of revolving masses. Linkages use that movement to adjust a valve or ot...
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Watt's linkage guides a point along an approximately straight path through connected rotating links. It is associated with steam-engine mechanism...
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A servomechanism compares a desired position or motion with feedback from its output. The resulting correction allows a powered actuator to follo...
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A player piano operates its keys from encoded instructions, commonly on a perforated paper roll. Pneumatic mechanisms translate the passing holes...
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A clockwork automaton performs a prepared sequence of movements through cams, gears and linkages. Figures of people or animals demonstrate how me...
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The Jaquet-Droz automata are elaborate mechanical figures designed to write, draw or play music. Cam-controlled movements coordinate hands, eyes...
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Henri Maillardet's draughtsman-writer stores drawing and writing movements in shaped mechanical cams. The surviving automaton at The Franklin Ins...
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A differential analyser solves differential equations using continuously moving mechanical quantities. Wheel-and-disc integrators and connected s...
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A tide-predicting machine combines rotating motions representing tidal constituents. Its mechanisms add those cycles to draw or calculate predict...
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