Nicholas Nandalall 

Writing for Engineers 

21007 

Professor Davidow 

Table of Contents 

Introduction:                                                                                                                                                          Pg 3 

Description:                                                                                                                                                            Pg 4 

Analog Clock Exterior                                                                                                                        Pgs. 4-5 

Analog Clock Interior                                                                                                                         Pgs. 6-8 

Conclusion                                                                                                                                                              Pg 9 

Self-Reflection                                                                                                                                                 Pgs. 11-12 

Introduction 

Clocks, instruments that measure and depict time, have been used for millenniums via humans in several ways, ranging from sundials and hourglasses to modern clocks. As those years progressed, clocks have been steadily advancing in production that have gotten more complex. 

In Europe, the first mechanical analog clock was invented between the 13th and 14th centuries, acting as the bare standard for tracking time and transitioning from ancient methods such as sundials and water clocks. These advanced methods of technology provided more accurate time measurement compared to its predecessors (Hardy, 2024). 

The original instrument of measuring time was the sundial, found in the ancient civilization such as Greece and Egypt, sundials were the original method of tracking time. Dating back to around 1500 BC, they would use a stick or a pillar to use the shadow of the sun to measure time. Not only were sundials used to measure time but they also “symbolized the broader human quest to harness nature’s rhythms” (Hardy, 2024). 

After this method came the water clock (Clepsydras), introduced by the Greeks around 250 BC which, as the name suggests, focuses purely on using water to tell the time instead of the sun. These proved more useful than sundials, using it during different weather conditions besides being sunny and indoors. Although they were not accurate from the start, over time the accuracy increased as well as providing a more accurate reading using an arm to make it more convenient (Bellis, 2024). 

The more well-known version of the analog clock became apparent in the 14th century, but it became more accurate in 1656. Christian Huygens was the innovator for the pendulum clock, a weight that swayed back and forth, to determined time. Huygens’ initial clock had “an error of less than one minute a day” then later refined it to a reducing less than 10 seconds. (Bellis, 2024)  

In this technical description, analog clocks will be defined and driven into fine detail as the core instruments to guide us to tell time. 

Description:  

Using two sets of moving hands and hours marked 1-12, analog clocks measure time in a continuous motion that accurately depicts the speed of time passing. 

Analog Clock Exterior 

1. Casing  

Whenever the clock is being displayed, the casing is usually the first thing to be seen on the clock. The shell that protects the clock and its parts varies in durable material, such as wood, glass, stone, etc. Not only does the material vary, but they can be “highly decorative and may be considered a work of art in themselves.” (WordPress,2016) 

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Figure 1, Clock Parts  

(Clock parts, 2025) 

2. Face 

The face of the analog clock faces forwards and can be any shape including squares, circles, and rectangles.  

3. Dial  

The dial is the center of the analog clock where the hands rest on to display the numbers. The function of the dial is to make “the time clearly visible to the viewer- for this reason… clocks will often use more decorative color schemes–even though they are more difficult to read.” (WordPress, 2016) 

4. Hands  

The hands sit on the dial and point to the numbers to mark and indicate the time. 

Analog Clock Interior  

Figure 2, Clock Parts Pendulum 

(Ebay, 2025) 

Movement  

The heart of the analog clock would be the movement since it beats to the rhythm of how we tell time. 

A.  Driver  

The driver gives the clock power to move using electricity.  

B. Wheels  

The wheels transfer energy throughout the whole clock by a set of gears  

• Main wheel —> Escape Wheel  

C. Escapement  

Acts as a switch from the driver to the wheels to release energy gradually  

Anchor/Deadbeat  

• Two lever arms with pallet hooked into gearing of escape wheel  

• Pendulum swings back and forth, pallets moving in and out escape wheel while slightly turning 

D. Controller 

• Toggles escapement at regular intervals tuned to beat a rhythm to passing time 

• Pendulum dictates the pace of clock  

• Uses hairsprings (wheel rotating between two springs) 

• Weight of the wheel and tension of springs determines speed  

An analog clock can be used by reading the numbers (sometimes in roman numeral form) from 1 to 12. Understanding the concept of how to read the numbers and spaces in between are essential to reading the time more accurately.  

Ex: 

•  If the hour hand is between the marks of 1 and 2, it will be considered 1 am/pm  

• In between hour marks, there are ticks that measure to 5 minutes  

Conclusion  

The history of the clock has dated back to the times of ancient Egyptians many millennia ago. Ever since then, many technological upgrades have made the clock more accurate, as well as different versions of clocks such as the analog clock. Internally and externally, the components of the clock are put together in a complex way, to accurately tell the time.  

References Page 

James Hardy (March 11, 2024) The Hands of Time: Who Invented the Clock? 

The Hands of Time: Who Invented the Clock?

Mary Bellis (July 16, 2024) The Development of Clocks and Watches Over Time 

https://www.thoughtco.com/clock-and-calendar-history-1991475

WordPress.com (September 15, 2016) Anatomy of a Mechanical Clock 

Anatomy of a Mechanical Clock

Self-Reflection 

In this assignment, I have met some course learning outcomes during my writing process while also having not met some. One of them is linguistic differences, my sources and I differ in how we explain things and what vocabulary we use. My audience being general people would have trouble understanding words and such from the resources, so I made the explanations more comprehensible for the audience and make it simpler. Strengthening my sources also played a role in my writing process, such as paraphrasing, citing and editing. Compared to my sources, I cited my sources and quotes to bring over ideas from the source, while also editing finer details to enhance my writing. Due to linguistic differences, I paraphrased my sources to make it easier to not only understand but also write more efficiently. For this assignment, I did not use drafting, instead I wrote everything all in one paper and edited the finer details to make the process faster.  

Writing Process  

• Research 

• Researching 

 I looked up the parts and history on analog clocks and used the sources I found 

• Outlining 

I outlined the paper by using the default essay paper format, first with an introduction of the history, then the body paragraphs with the details and parts then ended with the conclusion. 

• Drafting 

I didn’t draft for this assignment; I wrote everything onto one paper then edited it.  

• Revising 

I revised my paragraphs after I finished it to make things more organized and neater. 

• Editing  

I edited the finer details of my writing to correct my punctuation and enhance my explanations. 

• Proofreading 

I proofread my writing after finishing it to correct my minor punctuation errors that I overlooked.