How Does Quartz Technology Work in Watches?
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The Pendulum
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For hundreds of years before the invention of quartz clocks, timepieces were driven by pendulums. Pendulums are useful for timekeeping because of their accuracy. Whether it swings in a big arc or a small one, a pendulum takes the same amount of time to make one trip. That means that, even as the spring system driving the pendulum winds down, the clock will continue to keep accurate time.
The Quartz Crystal
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Pendulums are not a practical way to drive watches because they need to hang from a fixed point. Instead, many modern watches use small quartz crystals that function in similar ways to pendulums. Instead of swinging back and forth, a quartz crystal vibrates. When an electric field is applied to a quartz crystal, it bends. When the crystal bends back into place, it releases its own electric charge. Just as a pendulum is driven by a spring mechanism, the quartz crystal is driven by an oscillator circuit that provides the energy for it to bend and release thousands of times every second.
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The Quartz Watch
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The oscillator circuit is connected to a smaller integrated circuit that counts the vibrations of the crystal. Because the quartz crystal vibrates so regularly, the integrated circuit can use it to time the length of each second, minute and hour. In quartz watches with analog displays, the integrated circuit controls a motor that spins the hands around the clock to show the time. In quartz watches with digital displays, the integrated circuit controls a simple electronic screen that shows the second, minute, hour and sometimes date as well.
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