How exactly is it that quartz crystal led to such a massive growth in our time-keeping ability?

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Every video I see on some introduction to time-keeping history says things changed when quartz was discovered. I remember commercials for watches actually bragging in marketing campaigns about quartz time-keeping or whatever it is called. I don’t know what about quartz (is it an element) made it so important for keeping accurate time.

Also, I wasn’t sure what flair to put this under. I can add another if someone has a better suggestion.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

All you need to keep time is find some phenomena that repeats very periodically and measure it repeatedly. There are lots of things in nature that do this, like pendulums swinging, but they’re difficult to stick inside of a wrist watch.

Quartz crystals are just one random thing that oscillate very regularly when you a voltage across them. Ezpz to stick into a watch.

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