If Galileo had indeed solved the beautiful problem, both in
the conception and the fact, the honor of the discovery was lost to him
by the laziness and negligence of his pupil, Viviani, upon whom he had
placed such high hopes. One thing is certain, that the right of priority
of the discovery and the recognition of the entire world has been
incontestably bestowed upon Huygens. The escapement which Galileo is
supposed to have conceived and to which he applied the pendulum, is
shown in Fig. 149. The wheel _R_ is supplied with teeth, which lock
against the piece _D_ attached to a lever pivoted at _a_, and also with
pins calculated to impart impulses to the pendulum through the pallet
_P_. The arm _L_ serves to disengage or unlock the wheel by lifting the
lever _D_ upon the return oscillation of the pendulum.
[Illustration: Fig. 152]
[Illustration: Fig. 153]
A careful study of Fig. 150 will discover a simple transposition which
it became necessary to make in the clocks, for the effectual adaptation
of the pendulum to their regulation.
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