The Seven Follies of Science [2nd ed.]: A popular account of the most famous scientific impossibilities and the attempts which have been made to solve them. To which is added a small budget of interesting paradoxes, illusions, and marvels — John Shaqi
The Seven Follies of Science [2nd ed.]: A popular account of the most famous scientific impossibilities and the attempts which have been made to solve them. To which is added a small budget of interesting paradoxes, illusions, and marvelsPhin, John
History
The Seven Follies of Science [2nd ed.]: A popular account of the most famous scientific impossibilities and the attempts which have been made to solve them. To which is added a small budget of interesting paradoxes, illusions, and marvels
Phin, John
Geometry -- Famous problems; Scientific recreations
The variations which are constantly occurring in the temperature and the
pressure of the atmosphere have also been forced into this service. A
clock which required no winding was exhibited in London towards the
latter part of the eighteenth century. It was called a perpetual motion,
and the working power was derived from variations in the quantity, and
consequently in the weight of the mercury, which was forced up into a
glass tube closed at the upper end and having the lower end immersed in
a cistern of mercury after the manner of a barometer. It was fully
described by James Ferguson, whose lectures on Mechanics and Natural
Philosophy were edited by Sir David Brewster. It ran for years without
requiring winding, and is said to have kept very good time. A similar
contrivance was employed in a clock which was possessed by the Academy
of Painting at Paris. It is described in Ozanam's work, Vol. II, page
105, of the edition of 1803.
The changes which are constantly taking place in the temperature of all
bodies, and the expansion and contraction which these variations
produce, afford a very efficient power for clocks and small machines.
Professor W. W. R. Ball tells us that "there was at Paris in the latter
half of last century a clock which was an ingenious illustration of such
perpetual motion. The energy, which was stored up in it to maintain the
motion of the pendulum, was provided by the expansion of a silver rod.
This expansion was caused by the daily rise of temperature, and by means
of a train of levers it wound up the clock. There was a disconnecting
apparatus, so that the contraction due to a fall of temperature produced
no effect, and there was a similar arrangement to prevent overwinding. I
believe that a rise of eight or nine degrees Fahrenheit was sufficient
to wind up the clock for twenty-four hours."
Another indirect method of winding a watch is thus described by
Professor Ball:
"I have in my possession a watch, known as the Lohr patent, which
produces the same effect by somewhat different means. Inside the
case is a steel weight, and if the watch is carried in a pocket this
weight rises and falls at every step one takes, somewhat after the
manner of a pedometer. The weight is moved up by the action of the
person who has it in his pocket, and in falling the weight winds up
the spring of the watch. On the face is a small dial showing the
number of hours for which the watch is wound up. As soon as the hand
of this dial points to fifty-six hours, the train of levers which
wind up the watch disconnects automatically, so as to prevent
overwinding the spring, and it reconnects again as soon as the watch
has run down eight hours. The watch is an excellent time-keeper, and
a walk of about a couple of miles is sufficient to wind it up for
twenty-four hours."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account