NavList:

This is a multipart question so I hope that I dont leave
something unasked as to the scope.

The concept of a second of time, a minute of time as
fractions of an hour and of a day.  I wonder what civilization
had the thought to breakdown the hour and what reasonable
technology was available.   My quess is the water clock with
the drip set to 60 per minute but this is pure speculation.
I also have to wonder what drove the person who decided
that subdividing the hour was necessary.   Perhaps even
the concept of a second was quite the leap.


Since the length of the day changes throughout the year, some
technology perhaps sundials, or again water clocks made the
observer aware that measuring an hour with some measure
of accuracy was desirable.  I know that on ships a sandglass
was used to to time watches.

Although Harrison was among the first to make a timepiece
of sufficient accuracy for use at sea,  I wonder how much
earlier land based timepieces were up to the task.

Among my faults, is a tendency to fall into survival mode
thinking.  What if no  battery powered timepieces, no
computers (i.e) back to computing by hand trignometric
tables.

Peace



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