Time: From Earth Rotation to Atomic Physics

— —

Dennis D. McCarthy (United States Naval Observatory) P. Kenneth Seidelmann (University of Virginia)

Time

From Earth Rotation to Atomic Physics

Dennis D. McCarthy (United States Naval Observatory), P. Kenneth Seidelmann (University of Virginia)

$128.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Cambridge University Press
18 October 2018

History of science; Astronomical observation: observatories, equipment & methods; Atomic & molecular physics; Geophysics; Geographical information systems (GIS) & remote sensing

In the twenty-first century, we take the means to measure time for granted, without contemplating the sophisticated concepts on which our time scales are based. This volume presents the evolution of concepts of time and methods of time keeping up to the present day. It outlines the progression of time based on sundials, water clocks, and the Earth's rotation, to time measurement using pendulum clocks, quartz crystal clocks, and atomic frequency standards. Time scales created as a result of these improvements in technology and the development of general and special relativity are explained. This second edition has been updated throughout to describe twentieth- and twenty-first-century advances and discusses the redefinition of SI units and the future of UTC. A new chapter on time and cosmology has been added. This broad-ranging reference benefits a diverse readership, including historians, scientists, engineers, educators, and it is accessible to general readers.

By: Dennis D. McCarthy (United States Naval Observatory), P. Kenneth Seidelmann (University of Virginia)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 2nd Revised edition
Dimensions: Height: 253mm, Width: 178mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 950g
ISBN: 9781107197282
ISBN 10: 1107197287
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 18 October 2018
Audience: Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Undergraduate , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface; 1. Time: pre-twentieth century; 2. Solar time; 3. Ephemerides; 4. Variable Earth rotation; 5. Earth orientation; 6. Ephemeris time; 7. Relativity and time; 8. Time and cosmology; 9. Dynamical and coordinate time scales; 10. Clock developments; 11. Microwave atomic clocks; 12. Optical atomic standards; 13. Definition and role of a second; 14. International Atomic Time (TAI); 15. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); 16. Time in the solar system; 17. Time and frequency transfer; 18. Modern Earth orientation; 19. International activities; 20. Time applications; 21. Future of time keeping; Acronyms; Glossary.

Dennis D. McCarthy is a former Director of Time at the United States Naval Observatory, the leading authority in the US for astronomical and timing data. He has led and been a member of various Commissions and Working Groups within the International Astronomical Union and has authored and edited numerous publications dealing with fundamental astronomy, time, and Earth orientation. P. Kenneth Seidelmann is a research professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia and is a former Director of Astrometry at the US Naval Observatory. He has led and been a member of a Division, various Commissions, and Working Groups of the International Astronomical Union, has co-authored two other books: Fundamentals of Astrometry (Cambridge, 2004) and Celestial Mechanics and Astrodynamics (2016), and is co-editor of the Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac (2012).

Reviews for Time: From Earth Rotation to Atomic Physics

'Why do we add 1 second to our clocks at midnight at the end of some years, or at the end of June in others? Why don't we subtract 1 second sometimes instead? ... You will find the answers to these and many more questions in this excellent book, written by two experts who worked on the practical aspects of these topics at the US Naval Observatory ... The second edition brings these subjects right up to date, and investigates the possible future developments in timekeeping.' L. V. Morrison, The Observatory