The article tells about what a chronometer is, who invented it, why it is needed and how this device is used in the modern world.
Ancient times
From ancient times, people felt the need to accurately determine or measure a length of time. And if at the time of the primitive system they were somehow dispensed with at least somehow, then with the creation of a civilized social society this question arose with a new acuteness. The lack of watches and other instruments for accurate time measurement made it very difficult for some aspects of life. And if there were no problems with counting down the days, then how to arrange a meeting? Of course, you can navigate by the sun, but this method is far from perfect, and the weather is not always clear. It is for these reasons that people tried to invent watches and their analogs.
The first such devices found by archaeologists are called clepsydra. This is a vessel from which liquid gradually flowed out, because of which a float with divisions fell. Of course, such a thing was only suitable for measuring the length of time.
But even earlier, our ancestors used a sundial, noting that the location of the shadows varies, depending on the time of day. Well, the watches of our usual design were first mass-produced at the end of the Middle Ages. They were expensive, large, and not everyone could afford them. And there wasn’t such a need - a tower was built in the city, where the clock stood, and anyone could know the time.
However, watches of different designs still had errors, and therefore in 1731 a certain watchmaker Harrison constructed a chronometer. So what is a chronometer and why is it needed?
Definition
According to terminology, a chronometer is a particularly accurate watch with minimal error. They are used where the determination of time or its segment is especially important. Buying such a device for home use is pointless.
Simply put, this is the most ordinary watch, the course of which is very accurate, and they are spared from a number of shortcomings. So Harrison was not the inventor of watches, he only took their general design and perfected them at that time. So now we know what a chronometer is. But where does it apply?
Application
The main drawback of such a device as a time chronometer was initially its price. Since it took a lot more time to make it, compared to ordinary watches. Nevertheless, a little later, Harrison was able to reduce their cost, and timepieces became very popular. The first who appreciated their merits were sailors. In those days, the determination of latitude and longitude was carried out by the sun, and an accurate chronometer was needed to record the time of sunrise or sunset of our body. Naturally, the more accurately this was done, the more accurately the sailors determined their location.
Later, various scientists became interested in the device, for example, astronomers who needed to very accurately record certain events. So we figured out what a chronometer is.
Present
A similar device has been used for navigation on aircraft or ships for several centuries, but now the chronometer is practically not used, except as a backup tool. The fact is that it was replaced by more accurate quartz watches. And indeed, the navigation of ships and aircraft has long been based on radio signals or satellite systems. But if you wish, anyone can still purchase a device such as a chronometer. Its price varies greatly, depending on size, brand, accuracy and decoration. For example, a replica of the MX 6 marine chronometer will cost 31,000 Russian rubles. And wrist and modern chronometers of the brand Ulysse Nardin cost from 300,000 thousand. But the cost of simpler options starts at about 1,500 rubles.