Search Results: Atomic clock

A design for a pendulum clock made by Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) in the last year of his life. Galileo never made a working model of the clock (although his son did in 1649). Illustration by Vincenzo Viviani. (Science Museum, London)

A detail of a table clock made by Thomas Tompion (1639-1713). Perhaps made for Anne, Queen of Great Britain (r. 1702-1714) around 1708. (Science Museum, London)

The Eastgate Clock, Chester, Cheshire, England. Stands on the site of the original entrance to the Roman fortress of Deva Victrix. Installed in 1899 CE.

Keeping good time proved an elusive objective for centuries, and it was only in the second half of the 17th century, during the Scientific Revolution (1500-1700), that clocks were made which lost seconds rather than minutes each day. The...

Democritus (l. c. 460 - c. 370 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and younger contemporary of Socrates, born in Abdera (though other sources cite Miletus) who, with his teacher Leucippus (l. 5th century BCE), was the first to propose an atomic...

John Harrison (1693-1776) invented an accurate marine chronometer after several decades of research and development. While the pendulum clock had already been invented in the 17th century, a clock that could withstand the vagaries of the...

Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. A leading figure of the Scientific Revolution, Huygens combined research into mathematical-based theories, such as the movement of light waves, with practical...

It is said that Chester is the richest city in Britain in terms of archaeological and architectural treasures. One of the finest strategic outposts of the Roman Empire, it is one of the few walled cities left in Britain today. Rachael Lindsay...

A decimal clock manufactured during the French Revolution. Decimal time is measured on the inside of the clock while duodecimal time is on the outside, late 18th/early 19th century.

A reconstructed model of a pendulum clock designed and built by the Dutch mathematician and astronomer Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695). The device has two weights and two pulleys which are driven by the swing of the pendulum. (Science Museum...