In Galileo\’s time, clocks weren\’t very accurate or reliable. They were regulated by small rods driven back and forth by a weight attached to a cord. The clock\’s speed was adjusted by moving the small weights that hung from the rod.
Following the death of Galileo’s father in 1591 the famous French polymath Marin Marsenne, who was a good friend of the family, kept in contact with Galileo. The two corresponded for many years discussing their academic research and scientific discoveries. Marsenne later shared Galileo’s work on the motion of pendulums with Dutch physicist Christian Huygens, whose improved design resulted in the first pendulum clocks being built in the 17th Century.
