Our modern society usually doesn't pay much thought to timepieces. Clocks are on our wrists, and in most rooms of our homes and offices. Clocks are very much a part of living, and without them, life would be chaotic. Yes, these handy inventions contain mechanisms and parts that keep clocks ticking. To understand these parts, you need to understand some basic clock terminology.
Parts in Analog Clocks
Most people are very familiar with analog clocks, recognizing the thin, straight hands set in the middle of the clock face. Analog clocks often have two hands, one for monitoring minutes and one for hours. These tips of these hands move around the edge of the clock's face, or dial. The dial's outer ridge usually displays Arabic or Roman numerals to track the passing hours. The dial of an analog clock is protected by a cover, called the crystal. The bezel, or indented outer ridge surrounding the dial, holds the crystal in place.
Internal Mechanism
The inside pieces of the clock is called the movement. Clocks that contain and are operated by an inner spring that requires a key for winding are said, appropriately enough, to have key-wound movement. Clocks with quartz movement are powered by quartz crystals within the clock movement. Batteries are needed to send pulses to the crystal. One of the latest developments in clocks is the atomic clock; these clocks use radio signals and synchronize their timing with the official timepiece at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Parts of a Digital Clock
Digital clocks are generally powered by an electric current. They show the time using digital number displays instead of the face and hands of an analog clock. Clocks with liquid crystal display - or LCD - have layers of liquid crystals between transparent sheeting materials. Electricity flows through the crystals, causing them to display the digits that tell the time of day. One very common type of digital clock is the digital alarm clock found on the bedside table in many modern bedrooms.
Timekeeping is truly a science worth admiring. Even clocks that seem common have parts and inner workings that might surprise and amaze you.
