A Brief History of Timekeeping

A Brief History of Timekeeping
Author :
Publisher : BenBella Books
Total Pages : 305
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781953295941
ISBN-13 : 1953295940
Rating : 4/5 (41 Downloads)

Book Synopsis A Brief History of Timekeeping by : Chad Orzel

Download or read book A Brief History of Timekeeping written by Chad Orzel and published by BenBella Books. This book was released on 2022-01-25 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2022 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS WINNER — HISTORY: GENERAL ". . . inherently interesting, unique, and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and academic library Physics of Time & Scientific Measurement history collections, and supplemental curriculum studies lists.” —Midwest Book Review "A wonderful look into understanding and recording time, Orzel’s latest is appropriate for all readers who are curious about those ticks and tocks that mark nearly every aspect of our lives." —Booklist “A thorough, enjoyable exploration of the history and science behind measuring time.” —Foreword Reviews It’s all a matter of time—literally. From the movements of the spheres to the slipperiness of relativity, the story of science unfolds through the fascinating history of humanity’s efforts to keep time. Our modern lives are ruled by clocks and watches, smartphone apps and calendar programs. While our gadgets may be new, however, the drive to measure and master time is anything but—and in A Brief History of Timekeeping, Chad Orzel traces the path from Stonehenge to your smartphone. 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. Orzel, a physicist and the bestselling author of Breakfast with Einstein and How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog 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 (which still work perfectly 5,000 years later) 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. For those interested in science, technology, or history, or anyone who’s ever wondered about the instruments that divide our days into moments: the time you spend reading this book may fly, and it is certain to be well spent.

Timekeeper

Timekeeper
Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Total Pages : 356
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781510706224
ISBN-13 : 1510706224
Rating : 4/5 (24 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Timekeeper by : Tara Sim

Download or read book Timekeeper written by Tara Sim and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-11-08 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “I was in an accident. I got out. I'm safe now.” An alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, where a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely. A prodigy mechanic who can repair not only clockwork, but time itself, determined to rescue his father from a Stopped town. A series of mysterious bombings that could jeopardize all of England. A romance that will shake the very foundations of time. The first book in a dazzling new steampunk-fantasy trilogy, Timekeeper introduces a magical world of mythology and innovation that readers will never want to leave.

Timekeeping

Timekeeping
Author :
Publisher : Build It Yourself
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 1619301369
ISBN-13 : 9781619301368
Rating : 4/5 (69 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Timekeeping by : Linda Formichelli

Download or read book Timekeeping written by Linda Formichelli and published by Build It Yourself. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[This book] travels through the past and into the future to explore how humans have measured the passage of time."--P. [4] of cover.

Selling the True Time

Selling the True Time
Author :
Publisher : Stanford University Press
Total Pages : 346
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0804738742
ISBN-13 : 9780804738743
Rating : 4/5 (42 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Selling the True Time by : Ian R. Bartky

Download or read book Selling the True Time written by Ian R. Bartky and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This first comprehensive, scholarly history of timekeeping in America studies the transition from local to national timekeeping, a process that led to Standard Time—the worldwide system of timekeeping by which we all live. The book describes the contributions of the railroad industry, university astronomers, clockmakers, and civil and electrical engineers.

SEBS 14:Biological Timekeeping

SEBS 14:Biological Timekeeping
Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Total Pages : 220
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0521233070
ISBN-13 : 9780521233071
Rating : 4/5 (70 Downloads)

Book Synopsis SEBS 14:Biological Timekeeping by : John Brady

Download or read book SEBS 14:Biological Timekeeping written by John Brady and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1982-06-24 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Precision Pendulum Clocks

Precision Pendulum Clocks
Author :
Publisher : Schiffer Pub Limited
Total Pages : 288
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0764320211
ISBN-13 : 9780764320217
Rating : 4/5 (11 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Precision Pendulum Clocks by : Derek Roberts

Download or read book Precision Pendulum Clocks written by Derek Roberts and published by Schiffer Pub Limited. This book was released on 2004 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume chronicles the horological work carried out in France, Germany, and North America and completes the fascinating history of precision timekeeping in recent time. Over 500 beautiful color and black-and-white photographs illustrate the historical contributions of renowned clockmakers from France and Germany. America's contribution to precision timekeeping is chronicled along with recent advancements in precision pendulum timekeeping.

Timekeepers

Timekeepers
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 368
Release :
ISBN-10 : 1782113193
ISBN-13 : 9781782113195
Rating : 4/5 (93 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Timekeepers by : Simon Garfield

Download or read book Timekeepers written by Simon Garfield and published by . This book was released on 2016-09-15 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Not so long ago we timed our lives by the movement of the sun. These days our time arrives atomically and insistently, and our lives are propelled by the notion that we will never have enough of the one thing we crave the most. How have we come to be dominated by something so arbitrary?The compelling stories in this book explore our obsessions with time. An Englishman arrives back from Calcutta but refuses to adjust his watch. Beethoven has his symphonic wishes ignored. A moment of war is frozen forever. The timetable arrives by steam train. A woman designs a ten-hour clock and reinvents the calendar. Roger Bannister becomes stuck in the same four minutes forever. A British watchmaker competes with mighty Switzerland. And a prince attempts to stop time in its tracks.Timekeepers is a vivid exploration of the ways we have perceived, contained and saved time over the last 250 years, narrated in the highly inventive and entertaining style that bestselling author Simon Garfield is fast making his own. As managing time becomes the greatest challenge we face in our lives, this multi-layered history helps us tackle it in a sparkling new light.