| Description |
1 online resource (1 audio file (12hr., 28 min.)) : digital. |
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digital digital recording rda |
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data file rda |
| Access |
Digital content provided by hoopla. |
| Cast |
Read by Mike Lenz. |
| Summary |
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. |
| System Details |
Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
| Subject |
Time measurements -- History.
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Time -- History.
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Timekeeping -- History.
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Clocks and watches -- History.
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Chronology.
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Space and time.
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| Added Author |
Lenz, Mike.
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hoopla digital.
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| Added Title |
Brief history of time keeping. |
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Timekeeping. |
| ISBN |
9781696607636 (sound recording : hoopla Audio Book) |
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1696607639 (sound recording : hoopla Audio Book) |
| Music No. |
MWT14984287 |
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