Steam-Age Tech

STEAM-AGE FOUNDATIONS

a Traveling Technology Workshop

Presentations, Publications and Videos

Presentations:

= Clocks and Time =

From Agricultural To Industrial Time

In modern life it is hard to imagine not being ruled by a precise clock, regardless of time of day or even time of year. This class will explore changing understanding of Astronomy, The Globe, and a variety of Mechanical principles as they were applied to ever-more-accurate methods of keeping time. In turn we will consider how an ever-more accurate clock has changed our view of ourselves, society and the world as well as having been essential to a number of the important advances in science and technology.

Scientific Principles

• The Solar-System
  • Geocentric / Heliocentric models
  • The polar axis and the seasons
  • Longitude and Latitude
  • Astronomical Instruments
• Mechanical Principles and Movements
  • Gravity
  • Inertia
  • Gears
  • Pendulum
  • Springs
  • Escapement Mechanisms

Program Outline

[ Seminar Format Ca. 45 minutes ]
[ Workshop Format Ca. 90 minutes ]
Workshop Format has more hands-on time for the participants

Agrarian Time

• Seasons and Time of day for an agricultural society
• Ancient Astronomy
  • the Celestial Spheres
  • Correcting "High-School History"
    • Greek discussions of the Spherical Shape of the world
    • Greek Measurements of the Earth's size
    • Viking treatise on the Climactic Zones of the Earth's Sphere

Ancient Time Measurement

• Chinese Clocks
• Sun-Dials
• Roman water Clocks
• Aztec and Mayan Calendars

Religious Time

• Regular prayers during the day
• Judging time of day in cloudy of freezing weather

The Time Measurement

• Water-Clocks
• Sand-Clocks

The March of Time

• 12th Century Al-Jazari - Crankshaft and crank-slider mechanism and escapement [Practical Demo]
• Weights with an escapement [Practical Demo]
• 1198 Fire at the abbey of St Edmundsbury - Water-Clock
• Verge and Foliot Mechanism [Practical Demo]
• 1386 Salisbury cathedral clock
• 15th Century - Spring-Driven Clocks
• 1656 Galileo - Pendulum [Practical Demo]
• 1675 Huygens & Hooke - Spiral Balance : accurate pocket watches
• 1714 The Longitude Prize
• 1761 Harrison - Marine Chronometer
• 1840 Bain - Electric Clock

[Hands On - Workshop only]

• Model Clocks and Escapements

Industrial Time

• Standardized time: the 24 hour day
• Train Schedules
• The Factory Work-Day
• Computer Time

"Timing is Everything"

• Cars and Machines
• Communication
• Computers
• Scientific Instruments

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