U Gears STEM Mechanical Model – Counter

Learn how the COUNTER works

The Counter is a stylish educational model, which includes an interactive study guide, to help learn and understand the principles of how a Counter works.

The Ugears Counter consists of a click button that is used to register values, a Geneva Drive that sets the whole mechanism in motion, Cylinder Gears with Numbers, and a Turn Handle. The Counter can register values between 1 and 999. You can then open the front panel of the counter and reset it manually.

Try counting steps on your way home. Or how many people you meet on a stroll through the park. How about, the number of blue cars passing by your house for one hour? Count stairs at home, at school, or at a friend’s house, the options are endless.

When and who invented it

A counter, as a key part of the odometer mechanism, was invented by an Ancient Greek mathematician and engineer Hero of Alexandria who lived in 10-70 AD. It measured the length of the path by counting the number of rotations of the wheel. Later, the counter was improved and completed with a reducer that reduced the number of the wheel’s revolutions depending on the measuring system (miles, leagues, kilometres) and showed reduced data on the display.

Usage

These days, counters are used to count the number of passengers, visitors of different events, cars passing through certain check point, sets and scores in sport, items on a production line, etc.