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Parts of an Hourglass

An hourglass is a device that measures time. They were the first dependable, accurate and reusable devices invented for tracking time. In addition, hourglasses will not freeze, giving them a higher quality of dependability. Since the 15th century, hourglasses have been used at sea, in church and for cooking. Hourglasses are also called sandglasses and egg-timers.

Bulbs
- The most prominent features of an hourglass are the two bulbs that contain the time-measuring sand. The bulbs are stacked on top of one another and can be made of either glass or plastic.
Connecting Tube
- A narrow tube connects the bulbs to allow the sand to flow between the bulbs. The tube is made of the same material as the bulbs, whatever it may be.
Sand
- One of the bulbs is filled with fine sand that will flow back and forth between the bulbs in a specific amount of time.
Sand Alternatives
- No one agrees on what works best for the internal material. Fine sand is most often used, but some hourglasses contain powdered eggshell or powdered marble.
Decorations
- The bulbs usually cannot stand on their own, so many hourglasses have decorative stands made of wood or simple plastic. Some hourglasses that track large amounts of time will also have scales that denote how much time is remaining by the levels of sand.

Artifacts