Mechanical Clock Social Impact Analysis Paper

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Technology is often the product of people and their circumstances, yet its influence also far surpasses its immediate environment. Explain the historical context and cultural traditions which led to the development of the mechanical clock. How did the adoption of the mechanical clock in Europe later affect the United States? Be sure to give examples. Lastly, consider your own experience with either mechanized, electrical, or atomic timekeeping. How much of an influence does it have on your every day life, especially as someone studying engineering? Again, give examples.

  • Discuss the history of the mechanical clock from its early beginnings to the present. Please discuss at least three different events in the history of the mechanical clock in detail.
  • Describe at least one influence (e.g., historical, cultural, social, economic, political) that led to the development of the mechanical clock.
  • How did the development and use of the mechanical clock affect Europe in the Early Modern period?
  • Overall, how did the mechanical clock affect the United States?
  • How does mechanical timekeeping affect you in your every day life, especially as an Engineer?

Grading

Write an essay that addresses the questions above. When you respond to these questions, you should be specific and cite specific details either from the readings, class lectures, or your own research. You should cite specific events and/or cultures as you answer these questions. Also, you should make sure to cite your sources in your response and include a reference list at the end of your essay. Citations must be from reputable sources. Sites like Wikipedia, about.com, etc. are NOT considered acceptable sources.

Higher credit will be given for responses that show evidence of a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the topics involved.

You are encouraged to review the rubric for this assignment and make sure that you answer each question in detail and with specifics.

Correct use of English is a fundamental requirement for your papers to be graded. If errors in English make it difficult for a grader to understand your sentences, or excessively slow down the grader to mark your technical errors, your paper will be returned to you for further work on its English, and your grade for the paper will be deferred until it is resubmitted with corrected English. If your assignment is returned for an excessive number of grammatical errors, you will be allowed to rewrite and resubmit it within two weeks of the original return date. If not resubmitted by the date set by your instructor, you will receive a zero (0) for the writing assignment.