Why can't it be a long strip where a pointer moves to show the time just like the thermometer pointer moves to show the temperature ?
2007-01-19 02:10:12 · 11 answers · asked by horizon 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
It may well be a mechanical reason... the pointer has to start all over again every 12 or 24 hours... round makes sure the movement is only forward and smooth.... otherwise it would be a slow speed forward to the end of the day and then an instantaneous high speed wind back to the start.
2007-01-19 02:28:55 · answer #1 · answered by small 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Haha, dude you crazy. =) Lemme take you back a little bit. Back to where the first watches were made. If you take a close look at the purpose of a watch - its meant to give the most accurate description of what time it currently is. Now if you put that in a strip (lets use a thermometer for example) once it hits midnight - how will the strip go back to the bottom? This use for an analog clock doesnt work very well when getting the time back to the bottom (or bottom of the thermometer in our example). Its just not very quick.
Now... that only applies for an analog type clock. If you want to go digital - then it works fine. Dude, by all means, go and patent it! Would be a cool trend for 2007 (or 2008)! Might seem a little bulky.... but im sure you can make it work. Remember... make it digital... otherwise... accuracy will be lost when trying to get the bar (or mercury in our example) back down to 00:00. Oh... and dont forget the 'seconds' meter!
2007-01-19 03:42:15 · answer #2 · answered by Kermit 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They have clocks like those. I was in a store called Design House just a few weeks ago and they had some that worked in the thermometer fashion, some that had two dials that spun on their side so that you only ever saw what hour and minute it was at that time. Like if you were to put a clock on the wall, then lay your head beside the clock, with one ear on the wall. That was the design, the hour rolled up first, and then the minutes would roll down, it was pretty cool.
2007-01-19 02:20:06 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I guess they could be but then they would have to flick back to the beginning every time they got to the end of the hour. This would be a waste of movement and also the fraction of a second it took would either have to be accounted for in the calibration of the device or it would affect the time keeping. All in all round is a bit more practical. Sun dials aren't round, they were the earliest form of clock, I suppose they work more or less as you suggested.
2007-01-19 02:18:35 · answer #4 · answered by gerrifriend 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why shouldn't it be round. Our understanding of time is based upon the rotation of the Earth around the sun. The earth is round, the sun round, the clock is round. It seems to fit.
2007-01-19 02:18:58 · answer #5 · answered by DeSaxe 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the original clocks used wieghts to pull the mechanisms,
a weight only pulls down, it doesn't push up....
so the motion has to all be one way....
and since a linear face would have to reverse, it would be unsuitable for this type of work.
therefore, the only path that would work would be a circle.
2007-01-19 02:34:08 · answer #6 · answered by papeche 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I usually have better things to think about, but nevertheless, you may have a new invention. Maybe you should try to patent it!
Good luck!
2007-01-19 02:19:41 · answer #7 · answered by Drea G. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No
It could be a long strip - there is no can't, it just not preferable or practical.
2007-01-19 02:32:34 · answer #8 · answered by Justin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - I have never wondered.
A long strip would be unattractive on my wrist.
2007-01-19 02:16:41 · answer #9 · answered by fatsausage 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good thought
2007-01-19 02:17:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋