A brief history of timekeeping : the science of marking time, from Stonehenge to atomic clocks
Orzel, Chad2022
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"You only need to press the snooze button on your alarm a bit too often to understand the importance of good timekeeping. What you might not know is that the need to tell the time connects you to over five thousand years of human history, from the first solstice markers at Newgrange to quartz crystal oscillating in your watch today. Science underpins time: from orbital motion and axial tilt to the quantum mechanics and relativity theory that gives us our ultra-precise atomic clocks. Yet time is also socially decided: the Gregorian calendar we use today is a result of complex political negotiations. The ancient Maya used sophisticated astronomical observations to produce a calendar system unlike any other in the world. In his quirky and accessible style, Chad Orzel reveals the wondrous physics that makes time something we can set, measure and know"--Publisher's description.
Main title:
Author:
Orzel, Chad, author
Imprint:
London : Oneworld Publications, 2022.©2022
Collation:
324 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm.
Notes:
Includes index.
Contents:
Introduction: a clock is a thing that ticks -- Sunrise -- The sun, the moon, and the stars -- "Give us our eleven days!" -- The apocalypse that wasn't -- Drips and drops -- Ticks and tocks -- Heavenly wanderers -- Celestial clockwork -- To the moon... -- Watch this -- Does anybody really know what time it is? -- The measure of space-time -- Quantum clocks -- Time and gravity -- Time enough for everyone -- The future of time.
ISBN:
9780861542154 (pbk)9780861542154
Dewey class:
529.7681.113
Language:
English
Added title:
Subject:
BRN:
510816
More Information:
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumaris Library | Adult Non Fiction - Science and Technology | 529.7 ORZ | Available |