Mondo Knows Facts
Quartz crystals vibrate at precise frequencies when electrified
Passing electric current through quartz produces 32,768 precise oscillations per second
Quartz watch timekeeping relies on inverse piezoelectricity, where applying an electric voltage causes a quartz crystal to flex mechanically. Synthetic quartz crystals are cut into tiny tuning forks shaped to vibrate at exactly 32,768 Hertz when driven by a battery circuit. Electronic counters count these oscillations to maintain accurate time.
Where this comes from
Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
Go further
More facts like this
Quartz clocks keep time by measuring vibrations in a crystalWarren Marrison built the first quartz crystal clock at Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1927Carbon nanotubes possess exceptional tensile strengthCylindrical graphene tubes exhibit tensile strength far superior to structural steelThe lotus effect causes water droplets to roll off surfaces cleanMicroscopic surface bumps prevent water from wetting surfaces picking up dirt as drops rollKevlar polymer derives extreme strength from inter-chain hydrogen bondsSynthetic aramid fibres absorb bullet impacts by distributing kinetic energy across strandsSemiconductors control electric current via bandgap energy levelsAn energy gap between valence and conduction bands enables modern digital electronicsSuperfluid liquid helium flows uphill without frictionCooled below two Kelvin liquid helium loses all viscosity climbing container walls
Tags: materials, quartz, timekeeping
Quartz crystals vibrate at precise frequencies when electrified: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Passing electric current through quartz produces 32,768 precise oscillations per second. The figure is taken from NIST, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a science fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.
