Timer is a device that measures a specified time interval from the moment of start. The stopwatch counts down. After the specified time has elapsed, an audible signal sounds.
Timer history
The ancient ancestors of timers are fire clocks. About 3000 years ago they were used in China, Japan, India, Greece and Persia. The dry wood was ground into powder and mixed with incense. Sticks or spirals with marks were made from the mixture. Metal balls were often attached to the marks. When the stick decayed to the mark, the ringing of the ball that fell on the stand was heard. After the invention of glass, the functions of the fire clock were transferred to lamps with marked divisions - minutes and hours ran away along with the burnt out oil. In the Middle Ages, time was measured by marks on candles.
Clepsydras or water clocks appeared about half a millennium later than the fire ones, they were invented by the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians. From the glass cylinder, water flowed out in a thin stream, perhaps then the expression "time is up" appeared. The water clock helped people count the hours and minutes for a long time - the clepsydras heard the speeches of ancient Roman orators and helped the kings to be punctual.
In Babylon, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Greece, water slowly flowed out of a filled vessel. Chinese and Indian water timers acted the other way around - an empty hemisphere with a small hole at the bottom, floating in the pool, gradually filled with water. The hourglass was invented around the 3rd century BC in the Middle East and Ancient Greece. Only a thousand years remained until the invention of the mechanical movement.
The familiar mechanical watch with hands appeared in China in 725 AD, designed by the masters Yixing (行) and Liang Lingzan (梁 令 瓚). From that moment on, the price of a minute only grew, and in 1670 the English watchmaker William Clement built a stopwatch. In order not to miss a single drop of time, the watchmakers constantly improved their devices. The first mechanical timer in 1816 was invented by Louis Moinet. He used it to track lunar phases. In 1821, the French master Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec created the first publicly available chronograph, an order for which came from King Louis XVIII (Louis XVIII).
The rapid scientific progress of the twentieth century did not pass by the clock. At the end of the last century, an electronic timer naturally arose - an accurate device that is used today in thousands of different devices.
Interesting Facts
- Sometimes there are 61 seconds in a minute. The International Earth Rotation Service adds the "leap" second on June 30 or December 31 to bring Earth time into exact correspondence with the Sun.
- It is generally accepted that there are 24 hours in a day - during this time the Earth rotates around its axis. In fact, a day consists of 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.2 seconds. But even this value is not constant, many factors affect the rotation speed, for example, the attraction of the moon.
- We see only the past - the speed of light creates delays of everything visible. So, we see the Sun as it was 8 minutes and 20 seconds ago. Light from another closest star, Proxima Centauri, has been coming to us for 4 years.
- The faster we move, the slower time flows. While a ship with a speed of 99% of the speed of light flies from Earth to Sirius and back for 2.5 years, 17 years pass on our planet.
- The thunderstorm timer will help you understand how far away the epicenter is. If three seconds pass between a flash of lightning and a discharge of thunder, the thunderstorm is a kilometer away. The sound is generated at the same time as the lightning strike, but it takes time for it to reach the ears.
An accurate, simple and free timer is a good trainer for anyone who already understands the value of time. Add the timer to your bookmarks, and it will always be at hand when you need it.
