Isochronous The term isochronous describes something that is equal in duration or in frequency, in other words occurring over the same amount of time. Galileo Galilei was the first to observe the isochronicity of pendulum swing. Around 1604, he conducted experiments on pendulum swing and concluded that, regardless of the weight he suspended from the string, the period of the swing remained unchanged.[1] He even set up two identical pendulums side-by-side; one with a small arc and the other with a large arc. Once again, the pendulums swung back and forth at the same rate. Through these experiments Galileo confirmed the isochronous property of the pendulum. Galileo’s observation of the isochronicity of the pendulum had a direct effect upon horological development; it is the pendulum's isochronicity that makes it useful for regulating timekeepers. His experiments and observations greatly influenced the Dutch mathematician and scientist, Christiaan Huygens, who would go on to construct the first truly isochronous pendulum in 1656, thereby inventing the first domestic clock. End Note [1] Wooten 2010, 81-82 Reference Wooten, D. 2010. Galileo: Watcher of the Skies. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
