Used clocks

Since counting time is a science, clocks, timers and timekeeping are all used in various aspects of science.

Experiments and procedures need to be timed accurately. Some are so precise that findings or effects may vary by a mere millisecond. However, the most important aspects of time in science are accuracy and reliability.

Have you ever wondered where the scientists shop for clocks and watches or how they use them? OnlineClock.net will dedicate this blog post to some of the various ways time is related to different aspects of science. So put on your pocket protectors everybody, and let’s get our geek on…

Before delving into the subject of current time-keeping devices, it is important to know what was “the” scientific standard for time-keeping in the past. According to a publication from The IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control Society, the form of timing device used in the 1800s and early 1900s by scientists was a pendulum clock. At that time, the regular movement of the pendulum was the most reliable form of counting time forward. Scientists had to verbally count if they were counting seconds, as pendulum clocks certainly didn’t have a digital display like a modern stopwatch does. As we have written in previous blog posts, the 20th century’s progression in clock development brought the emergence of quartz. Today, quartz clocks, timers and stopwatches are what science labs keep as a staple. Pendulum clocks are only used when they’re the subject of the study, but not as the main time-keeping device.