A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a swinging weighted pendulum as its timekeeping element. The Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens invented it on December 25, 1656, and patented the design the following year, having it built by the clockmaker Salomon Coster. Clocks before the pendulum were accurate to about fifteen minutes a day; Huygens' invention improved this roughly sixtyfold, to about fifteen seconds a day, and the pendulum clock remained the world's most precise type of timekeeper from 1656 until quartz clocks were developed in the 1930s, serving through the Industrial Revolution as the primary time standard for scheduling work, transportation and daily life before cheaper electric clocks began replacing it in homes from the 1930s and 1940s onward.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateSource states only that the patent followed in the year after the 25 December 1656 invention; exact day and month of the 1657 patent are not given in this article. SignificanceThe pendulum clock was the world's most precise timekeeper from its 1656 invention until quartz clocks emerged in the 1930s, serving through the 18th and 19th centuries as a primary time standard for scheduling work and transportation during the Industrial Revolution. 1 Connections
Associated With
In Field
Source Pendulum clock (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Invented By
Source Pendulum clock (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Pendulum clock (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory section
The pendulum clock was invented on 25 December 1656 by Dutch scientist and inventor Christiaan Huygens. The invention was patented the following year.
Lead section
From its invention in 1656 by Christiaan Huygens, inspired by Galileo Galilei, until the 1930s, the pendulum clock was the world's most precise type of timekeeper.
In Field: Mechanical Engineering, Categories
Clocks
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the pendulum clock such a leap in accuracy?
It cut daily error from about fifteen minutes to about fifteen seconds.
Clocks before the pendulum were accurate to about fifteen minutes a day. Christiaan Huygens invented the pendulum clock on December 25, 1656, and it improved accuracy roughly sixtyfold, to about fifteen seconds a day. It remained the world's most precise type of timekeeper until quartz clocks were developed in the 1930s.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.