Lombardi, M.
(2011),
First in a Series on the Evolution of Time Measurement: Celestial, Flow, and Mechanical Clocks, IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Magazine
(Accessed October 20, 2025)
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First in a Series on the Evolution of Time Measurement: Celestial, Flow, and Mechanical Clocks
Published
Author(s)
Abstract
A historical article about early clocks and time measurements (Part I of a IV-part series). It describes a number of different types of early clocks including sundials, water clocks, sandglasses, candle clocks, mechanical clocks, marine chronometers and pendulums. It discusses key developments in timekeeping, such as the origins of the 24-hour day, how we came to use time interval units such as hours, minutes, and seconds, and how clocks were used in the 18th century to solve the problem of determining longitude at sea.Citation
IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Magazine
Volume
14
Pub Type
Journals
Keywords
clocks, pendulums, solar time, time
Citation
Issues
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Created August 1, 2011, Updated February 19, 2017