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KF5JRV > TECH 01.05.16 15:38l 16 Lines 908 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 2311_KF5JRV
Read: GUEST
Subj: Candle Clocks
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<F1OYP<F4DUR<CX2SA<N0KFQ<KF5JRV
Sent: 160501/1329Z 2311@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQK1.4.65
Candle clocks take advantage of a simple concept: the slow and
consistent nature of a burning wax candle. By utilizing this process,
our ancestors were able to keep steady track of the time. The clocks
were created by engraving the length of the candle with evenly spaced
markings. Each marking represented a single unit of time (such as one
hour), and as the wax burned down, each hour would melt away. In
order to determine how much time had passed since lighting the
candle, you just checked the highest remaining marking.
Candle clocks could also function as alarm clocks. To use them this
way, they inserted a heavy nail into the wax at the desired time mark.
When the wax melted that far down, the nail would clatter into a
metal tray below. Candle clocks have been referenced as early as
A.D. 520 in China, but it remains unknown who first employed the
technique or where it originated.
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