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Check It Out
CHECK IT OUT
The Spring motor
stores energy
The secret behind the fascinating machines
in this kit is a power source called a
mainspring — a spiral-shaped spring that
stores up energy when wound up by hand,
and then converts that stored energy back
into motion when it discharges. Mainsprings
have long been used to store energy. In the
past, gramophones, cameras, rotary
telephones, and clocks were all operated
with mainsprings. Windup toys have also
always been a popular application. All of
these items worked the same way: the
mainspring was wound up by hand and the
stored energy was then used to set a
mechanism in motion.
Mainsprings are still used in some
wristwatches today, but mostly in
automatically winding mechanisms. These
watches use the movements of the wearer's
arm to wind the spring inside a little bit with
every movement. This means that these
clocks can run for an unlimited period of
time without batteries, as long as they are
being worn and charged up regularly.
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