清代科学家蒋煜及其创造的浑天仪和万年表

THE QING SCIENTIST JIANG YU AND HIS CREATION OF AN ARMILLARY SPHERE AND AN AUTOMTIC CLOCK

内容提要笔者从古籍中搜集、整理了记载清代南通科学家蒋煜及其发明的史料,对其身世作了初步考证,介绍了蒋煜发明的世界上首台以机械钟为动力的多功能浑天仪,并对照东汉张衡的浑象加以评述.此外,还详细介绍了蒋煜发明的世界上第一台以水银配合摆牌作动力的自动钟.

Abstract With its basis on relevant historical documents, this paper inquires into the life of Jiang Yu, a scientist of Nantong in the Qing Dynasty, describes the world's first multifunction armillary sphere invented by him, and comments on the sphere, which is driven by a mechanical clock, by comparing it with the water-operated celestial globe built by the astronomer Zhang Heng in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In addition, the paper gives a detailed account of the first automatic clock in the world inve nted by Jiang Yu. The power for this clock is supplied by the use of mercury and pendulum.