Escapement

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/escapement

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the non-horological application?Manual typewriters utilized escapements to advance the carriage, ensuring sequential character placement
2. What is an escapement in a clock?It is the part that gives energy to the pendulum or balance wheel and lets the gears move in tiny steps, so the clock keeps time.
3. How does the escapement make the clock tick?The escape wheel teeth lock and unlock with the escapement pallets, giving a little push to the balance wheel and stopping the gears until the next push, creating the tick sound.

Horology: The study and measurement of time, and the art of clock and watchmaking.
Balance Wheel: A weighted wheel that oscillates back and forth, regulating the timekeeping of a watch or clock.
Pallet: A part of the escapement that locks and unlocks the escape wheel, often tipped with jewels.
Mainspring: A coiled spring that stores potential energy to power a mechanical clock or watch.