Qn regarding clocks and voltage

[dasher]

urgent qn regarding clocks and voltage

this is a very URGENT qn that i nid to know the answer in order to get working on my physics proj. we are supposed to calibrate or make an instrument and our grp chose to make a projection clock. so apparently, since it is a projection clock, the time on the clock has to run in reverse direction in order for the projected image to turn out upright and normal. i tried using different voltages for the clock (normally it's 1.5 volts using one AA battery).at 1.5V, the clock ran normally. at 2V, it was still normal. bu at 4 V, the clock hands were running in reverse direction! this is exactly what i want but can someone explain why this happened? i tried this on a bigger clock but this clock had no alarm. for this clock, at 4V, the seconds hand jus ticked back and forth continuously. why is this so? why does an increase in voltage cause the clock hands to run in reverse direction?

 

[gtoguy97]

This phenomenon occurs due to the fact that when voltage is increased, current increases as well. This increased current causes an increase in the torque of the electric motor inside the clock, which then causes it to rotate in the opposite direction. The same is true for the seconds hand, as increasing the voltage causes an increase in current, which then causes the motor to rotate faster than normal, resulting in the seconds hand ticking back and forth continuously.

 

[astrokreng]

Thank you for your question. It is interesting that you are working on a projection clock for your physics project. To answer your question, we need to understand the basic principles of how a clock works. A clock basically converts electrical energy (from the battery) into mechanical energy to move the clock hands. The movement of the clock hands is controlled by a mechanism that works by changing the direction of rotation of a motor. This motor is powered by a voltage source, which is usually a battery.

Now, when we increase the voltage supplied to the clock, we are essentially increasing the amount of electrical energy available to power the motor. This increase in energy can cause the motor to rotate faster, resulting in the clock hands moving in the opposite direction. This is because the mechanism that controls the direction of rotation of the motor is not able to handle the increased energy and gets disrupted, causing the motor to rotate in the opposite direction.

In simpler terms, the increase in voltage causes the motor to rotate too quickly, and the mechanism that controls its direction gets confused, resulting in the clock hands moving in the opposite direction. This is why you observed the clock hands moving in reverse direction at 4V.

I hope this answers your question and helps you with your project. Good luck!