Which mechanism, crucial for longitude determination during 18th century sea voyages, was affected by temperature fluctuations on ships?

💡 Explanation

When temperature fluctuates, thermal expansion effects alter the length of a pendulum in clocks because materials expand linearly, directly impacting the period/timing and accuracy. Therefore pendulum performance degraded, rather than compass variance, sextant issues or barometric impacts which rely on magnetic variation, optics and air pressure, respectively.

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