[time-nuts] Leap Second Pending
Jim Lux
james.p.lux at jpl.nasa.gov
Tue Jul 29 23:16:29 EDT 2008
Quoting Chuck Harris <cfharris at erols.com>, on Tue 29 Jul 2008 07:05:10 PM PDT:
> According to Donald DeCarle's Watch and Clock Encyclopedia:
>
> Clepsydra- Water Clock. There are various types of water
>
<snip>
I should note that because the flow is a function of the viscosity of
the working fluid, the clepsydra has a very nonlinear temperature
coefficient (with a saturation at around 0C and another saturation at
around 100C, if the working fluid is water, depending on the
atmospheric pressure) although this can be compensated to a certain
extent by changing fluids.. Is a clepsydra using, say, alcohol or
fluorinert(tm) still a clepsydra?
I wonder if one could make a temperature compensated one (where the
orifice size changes with temperature.. much like building a
temperature compensated pendulum using metals with two different CTE)
There are various forms with tipping bucket (like rain gages) that one
might be able to make a calendar with (raising the prospect of
actually having a leak second)
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