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dmun, this will be a great idea!

I know next to nothing about mechanical clocks, so what I write below are half suggestions half questions:

  • If there was some early non-European (and non-European-colonies) clockmaking, could you also write on that?
  • Developments in one field are often first enabled by another field. I have no clue if and then to what extent, but suspect that, say, new metal smeltering methods enabled more precise clocks. Could you point out some such connections to other developments as you describe the stages of clockmaking development?
  • Astronomy and clockmaking have a long connection, so I suspect you wanted to deal with that anyway. But could you write a diary about the firsts of one specific application - the clockworks that rotate telescopes (relative to the surface of Earth) so that they keep looking at a star while the Earth rotates (relative to stars)?


*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sat Jan 28th, 2006 at 12:22:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ctesibius of ALexandria developed the first accurate water clocks called a Clepsydra.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctesibius

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_clock

by Samir on Sat Jan 28th, 2006 at 01:49:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There were lots of non-european and colonial clockmakers, and they will be covered in their turn.  Most interesting was the early Japanese makers who tried to make clocks with variable length hours.

Astronomers were clockmakers best clients - the always demanded more precision in regulators.  I know nothing about the clocks that control telescope movement, but I'd be eager to learn.  I'll write Jonathan Betts at Greenwich, to see what to research.

by dmun on Sat Jan 28th, 2006 at 05:06:22 PM EST
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