Clock oscillators use electronic circuits to time events and control the speed of clocks. Quartz crystal is the most accurate material used, vibrating at a stable frequency when an electric current is applied. Clock oscillators are used in computers, radios and watches, and were discovered by the Curie brothers in 1880.
Clock oscillators are electronic circuits used to time certain events. They can be used to control how fast the second hand of a clock ticks. These devices can be made from a variety of materials, although the most common and accurate material is quartz crystal. These devices use an electronic stimulus to create a mechanical movement.
Applying an electric current to a clock oscillator causes it to vibrate or oscillate at its natural frequency. The natural frequency of materials commonly used in these circuits is narrow and stable. The rigid oscillation frequency means that engineers can use numerical information about that frequency to determine the timing of clock oscillators. The frequency can be used to mark seconds or other units of time using a simple mathematical formula and the known frequency of the device. Computers, radio transmitters and radio receivers use clock oscillators to control time.
Time can be measured using clock oscillators. The material of the oscillator, quartz, ceramic, or other stable material, oscillates at a predictable rate when an electrical stimulus is applied to it. The natural frequency of the oscillator can change based on the shape, size and cut of the material, which means that the oscillator should be tested and calibrated before use. Most of the clock oscillators used in watches are shaped like tuning forks.
Quartz crystal is the most common device used in clock oscillators because it has a very precise natural frequency. In addition, the quartz crystal is not particularly reactive to chemicals, so very little change occurs in the crystal structure over time, making quartz crystal oscillators accurate over a large number of years. While temperature and pressure can affect the range of signals it will collect, adaptations to the crystal and its circuitry can lessen the effects of these external changes.
The principle used in clock oscillators was first discovered by the Curie brothers in 1880. Called the piezoelectric effect, the conversion of electricity into mechanical motion or the opposite, the reverse piezoelectric effect. This method of generating movement was much more stable than previous models, which relied solely on mechanics. One of the first industries to embrace the concept of the piezoelectric effect was the watch industry, which moved from mechanical watches that required winding to crystal clock oscillators that kept time with minimal degradation.
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