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Olympic coin keeps Big Ben tick-tock
Source: Agencies |
November 14, 2009, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A PILE of old coins which have helped keep the clock mechanism of London's Big Ben accurate for the past 150 years have been replaced by a new five-pound coin to mark the 2012 Olympics.
The pre-decimal pennies are stacked on the pendulum of the clock and have acted as weights to help regulate it since 1859 when the clock tower was completed.
Adding or taking away coins effects the pendulum's center of mass and the rate at which it swings, said Mike McCann, the clock's keeper. Adding one penny causes the clock to gain two-fifths of a second in 24 hours.
"There is a long and historic relationship between Big Ben and the UK's coins," he said. "Few people realize the technical role the old pennies have played inside the clock."
Three of the 10 coins have now been replaced with a five-pound coin produced to celebrate the London Olympics in 2012.
The pre-decimal pennies are stacked on the pendulum of the clock and have acted as weights to help regulate it since 1859 when the clock tower was completed.
Adding or taking away coins effects the pendulum's center of mass and the rate at which it swings, said Mike McCann, the clock's keeper. Adding one penny causes the clock to gain two-fifths of a second in 24 hours.
"There is a long and historic relationship between Big Ben and the UK's coins," he said. "Few people realize the technical role the old pennies have played inside the clock."
Three of the 10 coins have now been replaced with a five-pound coin produced to celebrate the London Olympics in 2012.
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