Read Anywhere and on Any Device!

Subscribe to Read | $0.00

Join today and start reading your favorite books for Free!

Create Free Account

Quick and Easy Sign Up!

It takes less then 1 minute to sign up, then you can enjoy Unlimited eBooks.

Sign Up Browse

Read Anywhere and on Any Device!

  • Download on iOS
  • Download on Android
  • Download on iOS

A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks

Chad Orzel
3.70/5 (291 ratings)
Read Now Download Now
Predating written language and marching on through human history, the desire for ever-better timekeeping has spurred technological innovation and sparked theories that radically reshaped our understanding of the universe and our place in it. Chad Orzel, a physicist and bestselling author, continues his tradition of demystifying thorny scientific concepts by using the clocks and calendars central to our everyday activities as a jumping-off point to explore the science underlying the ways we keep track of our time. Ancient solstice markers depend on the basic astrophysics of our solar system; mechanical clocks owe their development to Newtonian physics; and the ultra-precise atomic timekeeping that enables GPS hinges on the predictable oddities of quantum mechanics. Along the way, Orzel visits the delicate negotiations involved in Gregorian calendar reform, the intricate and entirely unique system employed by the Maya, and how the problem of synchronizing clocks at different locations ultimately required us to abandon the idea of time as an absolute and universal quantity. Sharp and engaging, A Brief History of Timekeeping is a story not just about the science of sundials, sandglasses, and mechanical clocks, but also the politics of calendars and time zones, the philosophy of measurement, and the nature of space and time itself.
Format:
Pages:
324 pages
Publication:
Publisher:
Edition:
Language:
eng
ISBN10:
1953295606
ISBN13:
9781953295606
kindle Asin:
B093G8K8NM

A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks

Chad Orzel
3.70/5 (291 ratings)
Read Download
Predating written language and marching on through human history, the desire for ever-better timekeeping has spurred technological innovation and sparked theories that radically reshaped our understanding of the universe and our place in it. Chad Orzel, a physicist and bestselling author, continues his tradition of demystifying thorny scientific concepts by using the clocks and calendars central to our everyday activities as a jumping-off point to explore the science underlying the ways we keep track of our time. Ancient solstice markers depend on the basic astrophysics of our solar system; mechanical clocks owe their development to Newtonian physics; and the ultra-precise atomic timekeeping that enables GPS hinges on the predictable oddities of quantum mechanics. Along the way, Orzel visits the delicate negotiations involved in Gregorian calendar reform, the intricate and entirely unique system employed by the Maya, and how the problem of synchronizing clocks at different locations ultimately required us to abandon the idea of time as an absolute and universal quantity. Sharp and engaging, A Brief History of Timekeeping is a story not just about the science of sundials, sandglasses, and mechanical clocks, but also the politics of calendars and time zones, the philosophy of measurement, and the nature of space and time itself.
Format:
Pages:
324 pages
Publication:
Publisher:
Edition:
Language:
eng
ISBN10:
1953295606
ISBN13:
9781953295606
kindle Asin:
B093G8K8NM

More Books

Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History

Rebecca Struthers

About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks

David Rooney

Revolution in Time: Clocks and the Making of the Modern World

David S. Landes

Lights Out: Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric

Thomas Gryta

The Elements of Investing

Burton G. Malkiel

A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles

Ned Palmer

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

Dava Sobel

Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo Thriller (Marty Schott and Bo Bishop Book 1)

Michael Balter

Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History

John Julius Norwich

Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity

Jamie Metzl

The French Art of Living Well: Finding Joie de Vivre in the Everyday World

Cathy Yandell

Alex's Adventures in Numberland

Alex Bellos