Timely Questions

[ynot]

You may have all ,heard of these questions before, but in case someone hasn’t . . .

1) What man made time piece has the least moving parts?

2) What man made time piece has the most moving parts?

 

[jimlintott]

Gee. I'd guess:

1) A sundial
2) An hourglass

 

[GodMark2]

You may have all ,heard of these questions before, but in case someone hasn’t . . .

1) What man made time piece has the least moving parts?

2) What man made time piece has the most moving parts?

That depends on your definition of moving. A Sundial contains no moving parts in and of itself, but it does rely on the Earth's rotation, which is a movement. A quartz watch contains only a vibrating crystal, unless you count the electrons flowing through it that cause the vibrations.

Does the Earth count as a moving part? Does a stationary, but vibrating crystal count? Do electrons count? Atoms? Photons?

 

[ynot]

That depends on your definition of moving. A Sundial contains no moving parts in and of itself, but it does rely on the Earth's rotation, which is a movement. A quartz watch contains only a vibrating crystal, unless you count the electrons flowing through it that cause the vibrations.

Does the Earth count as a moving part? Does a stationary, but vibrating crystal count? Do electrons count? Atoms? Photons?

Quite so. I was asking myself the same questions as I made the OP. Got the questions from a book and it gave the same answers as jimlintott - Sundail and hourglass.

 

[GodMark2]

Quite so. I was asking myself the same questions as I made the OP. Got the questions from a book and it gave the same answers as jimlintott - Sundail and hourglass.

Ah, but why not count the individual mollecules of water in a waterglass? Then it would have much more moving parts than the hourglass. Or each electron in the Atomic Clock(http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/cesium.html)?

Are those not counted as moving parts? If not, why not?

 

[geni]

You may have all ,heard of these questions before, but in case someone hasn’t . . .

1) What man made time piece has the least moving parts?

Time candle. To work properly a sundial needs two moveing parts

2) What man made time piece has the most moving parts?

Posebly some of the ion fountain prototypes.

 

[epepke]

Single-photon light stick.