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

Phillip Helbig

The Observatory, 142, 1291, 288–289 (December 2022)


This is a book review of A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks by Chad Orzel.

A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks, by Chad Orzel (One World), 2022. Pp. 336, 19.5 x 13 cm. Price ¤15.99 (paperback, ISBN 978 0 86154 215 4).

At well over 300 pages of small print, it is not exactly brief, even though it concentrates on just the (history of) astronomy and physics of timekeeping rather than the sociological aspects as well, but everything is worth reading. The contents are broad: prehistorical timekeeping structures, calendars and reforms thereof, Mayan timekeeping, water clocks, mechanical clocks, celestial mechanics and timekeeping, the lunar method of longitude determination, traditional pocket- and wrist-watches, time zones and international time coordination, Special Relativity, atomic clocks, General Relativity, modern quartz timepieces, and the next step beyond current atomic clocks. The mixture of familiar and less familiar topics and additional information which adds to rather than distracts from the main narrative make the book particularly enjoyable to read. The book is very well written and a real page-turner. Anyone interested in the history of timekeeping will find something valuable here.


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last modified on Friday, December 22, 2023 at 05:38:04 PM by helbig@ascameltro.multivax.de (remove animal to reply)