Making sure Big Ben strikes on time

How is Big Ben and the Great Clock kept on time? This short video explains how this is done.

Visit http://www.parliament.uk/bigben for more information about Big Ben.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Ben;
• Big
• Commons;
• House
• Lords
• of
• Parliament;

[kensai7gr]

Amazing precision. You British are so cool with these things!

[UpperClass184]

wow, i really appreciate this clock tower, makes me proud to be British ;-). Well done to all the people who keep it going , thanx a lot!!! Your doing a brilliant job.

[pigeonshouse]

....and yes I know it should be 'who has' rather than whose but my writing style changed half way through writing this and didn't proofred wot I had writted.

[pigeonshouse]

@Logixmaster Someone whose practised can react to a familiar sound within 0.10 of a second, I imagine someone whose *really practised* can react to a sound within a smaller time frame. However, it will be insignificant by the time the sound has travelled 180ft to the ground (which is where a majority will hear it) - as the sound wave will have only travelled 126 feet in that time.

[pigeonshouse]

@fmBillion Hehe I suspect BT (or whoever runs the speaking clock nowadays) and the management of the Houses of Parliament have probably struck a deal somewhere along the lines of history.

[pigeonshouse]

@kensai7gr Aah you see that's the thing. It's not actually accurate at all when compared to an atomic clock, but 'we British' love things that are fallible - I mean what other country could get away with producing both the Reliant Robin and the Spitfire.

[fmBillion]

Calling up the talking clock 3 times a week? Cor... I bet their phone bill is a lot, the talking clock costs a bloody fortune.

[May1south]

I used to know someone whose father, in the 1920's, was in charge of maintenance of all the public clocks in London, including the one associated with Big Ben. Unfortunately, he died in 1929.

[halnwheels]

@BartBassist Let me expain why adding weight actually increases the rate of the penculum swing. It's because the weight is being added above the "center of oscillation" of the pendulum. The calculations are complex but the idea is simple... the same weight added below the center of occilation would slow the pendulum - at the bob for instance. But where the weight is being added is very close to the top.

Nice series of videos. Thank you.

[presbyterosBassI]

Westclox also made a pocket watch called "Pocket Ben".

[palexandersquires]

Beautifull Clock and it`s brother Little Ben also. Did you know, that Westclox once made a series of alarm clocks called Big Ben and Baby Ben!