A 

water clock or clepsydra is any timepiece by which time is measured by the regulated flow of

liquid into (inflow type) or out from (outflow type) a vessel, and where the amount is then measured.
Water clocks are one of the oldest time-measuring instruments. The bowl-shaped outflow is the
simplest form of a water clock and is known to have existed in Babylon, Egypt, and Persia around
the 16th century BC. Other regions of the world, including India and China, also have early evidence
of water clocks, but the earliest dates are less certain. Some authors, however, claim that water
clocks appeared in China as early as 4000 BC.
A water clock uses the flow of water to measure time. If viscosity is neglected, the physical principle
required to study such clocks is Torricelli's law. There are two types of water clocks: inflow and
outflow. In an outflow water clock, a container is filled with water, and the water is drained slowly and
evenly out of the container. This container has markings that are used to show the passage of time.
As the water leaves the container, an observer can see where the water is level with the lines and
tell how much time has passed. An inflow water clock works in basically the same way, except
instead of flowing out of the container, the water is filling up the marked container. As the container
fills, the observer can see where the water meets the lines and tell how much time has passed.
Some modern timepieces are called "water clocks" but work differently from the ancient ones. Their
timekeeping is governed by a pendulum, but they use water for other purposes, such as providing
the power needed to drive the clock by using a water wheel or something similar, or by having water
in their displays.[citation needed]
The Greeks and Romans advanced water clock design to include the inflow clepsydra with an early
feedback system, gearing, and escapement mechanism, which were connected to
fanciful automata and resulted in improved accuracy. Further advances were made in Byzantium,
Syria and Mesopotamia, where increasingly accurate water clocks incorporated complex segmental
and epicyclic gearing, water wheels, and programmability, advances which eventually made their
way to Europe. Independently, the Chinese developed their own advanced water clocks,
incorporating gears, escapement mechanisms, and water wheels, passing their ideas on
to Korea and Japan.[citation needed]
Some water clock designs were developed independently, and some knowledge was transferred
through the spread of trade. These early water clocks were calibrated with a sundial. While never
reaching a level of accuracy comparable to today's standards of timekeeping, the water clock was
the most accurate and commonly used timekeeping device for millennia, until it was replaced by
more accurate pendulum clocks in 17th-century Europe
There are two components of your project grade. Each part should contain the following items
and willbe scored as shown below.
1. Writeup of your project. Each heading below should be a separate section, clearly labelled. (25
points)
a. Problem Description: Describe in detail the problem you are trying to solve. (5 pts)
b. Criteria and Constraints: What criteria for your design need to be satisfied? What are
the constraints on the design? (5 pts)
c. Description of Design: Describe your design. You should write a verbal description, and
supplement it as needed with clearly labelled pictures or diagrams. (10 pts)
d. How the Design Fulfills the Criteria and Constraints: Written description of how your
design fulfills the criteria and constraints mentioned above. (5 pts)
e. List of references (if necessary)
2. Final product, model or full-scale (25 points)
a. Fulfills design criteria (10 pts)
b. Performs as intended (15 pts)