Candle flames are designed to be as stable as possible, but if multiple candles are bundled together, they will naturally vibrate depending on gravity and the diameter of the flame. Hardware engineer ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Scientists have taken a major step toward the ambitious global goal ...

Candle clocks were once an easy way to build a clock without using complex mechanical devices: just observe how quickly a thin candle burns down, mark an identical candle with periodic gradations, and ...

Atomic clocks record time using microwaves to measure the frequency of quantum vibrations of electrons. They are the basis upon which a second is defined. But there’s a new kid on the block, the ...

As the timebase for a clock, almost anything with a periodic oscillation can be used. Traditionally, that meant a pendulum, but in our time, we’ve seen plenty of others. Perhaps none as unusual as ...

The next generation of atomic clocks "ticks" with the frequency of a laser. This is about 100,000 times faster than the microwave frequencies of the cesium clocks which are generating the second at ...