Pendulum clock
A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a pendulum, a swinging weight, as its timekeeping element. The advantage of a pendulum for timekeeping is that it is a harmonic oscillator: It swings back and forth in a precise time interval dependent on its length, and resists swinging at other rates. From its invention in 1656 by Christiaan Huygens, inspired by Galileo Galilei, until the 1930s, the pendulum clock was the world's most precise timekeeper, accounting for its widespread use. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, pendulum clocks in homes, factories, offices, and railroad stations served as primary time standards for scheduling daily life, work shifts, and public transportation. Their greater accuracy allowed for the faster pace of life which was necessary for the Industrial Revolution. The home pendulum clock was replaced by less-expensive, synchronous, electric clocks in the 1930s and '40s. Pendulum clocks are now kept mostly for their decorative and antique value.

Pendulum clocks must be stationary to operate. Any motion or accelerations will affect the motion of the pendulum, causing inaccuracies, thus necessitating other mechanisms for use in portable timepieces.
Q376
clock
Concept
Q20702
pendulum
Concept
Q11471
time
Concept
Q190070
harmonic oscillator
Concept
Q39599
Christiaan Huygens
PER
Q307
Galileo Galilei
PER
Q2269
Industrial Revolution
Concept
Q2607895
synchronous, electric clock
Concept
Q179232
decorative
Concept
Q472760
antique
Concept
Q11376
acceleration
Concept
Q41751
Pendulum clock
Concept
Q41751
Pendulum clock
Concept
1656-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1656
DATE
1930-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1930
DATE
1930-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1930
DATE
+18^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
18
NUMBER
+19^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
19
NUMBER
+40^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
40
NUMBER
part of
discoverer or inventor
influenced by