Skip to main content

Modern Timekeeping and the Development of the Science of Time

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Power of Stars
  • 3302 Accesses

Abstract

Civilizations across the globe invented calendars and refined their observations of the Moon and planets to help synchronize their lives to these cycles. The modern world is distinctive for its advanced technology, for its material culture, and for its embrace of science. The development of all three of these was inseparable from the development of the science of time.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Brecher, K. and M. Feirtag (1979). Astronomy of the ancients. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, J. (1998). The history and practice of ancient astronomy. New York, Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeth, T., Jones, A., Steele, J.M., and Bitsakis, Y. (2008). Calendars with Olympiad Display and Eclipse prediction on the Antikythera Mechanism. Nature 454(7204): 614–617.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Goudsmit, S. A. and R. Claiborne (1969). Time. New York, Time-Life Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley, D. H. and E. F. Milone (2005). Exploring ancient skies: an encyclopedic survey of archaeoastronomy. New York, Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krupp, E. C. (1984). Echoes of the ancient skies: the astronomy of lost civilizations. New York, New American Library.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lockyer, N. and G. M. Seabroke (1878). Stargazing: past and present. London, Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Needham, J. (1981). Science in traditional China: a comparative perspective. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Needham, J. and C. A. Ronan (1980). The shorter science and civilization in China: an Abridgement of Joseph Needham’s original text. New York, Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Needham, J., et al. (1986). Heavenly clockwork: the great astronomical clocks of medieval China. New York, Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobel, D. (1995). Longitude: the true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time. New York, Walker.

    Google Scholar 

  • NIST (2008). NIST-F1 Cesium fountain atomic clock. From http://tf.nist.gov/cesium/fountain.htm

  • NIST (2009). Ytterbium gains round in quest for next-generation atomic clocks. From http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/techbeat/tb2009_0811.htm

  • Rees, A. (1819). The cyclopædia; or, universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature. London, Longman, Hurst, Rees.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. (2000). Robert Hooke – English father of microscopy. From http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artmar00/hooke4.html

  • Van Helden, A. (1995). The Galileo Project – Pendulum clock. From http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/instruments/pendulum.html.

  • Huygens, C. (1673). Christiani Hugenii Zulichemii, Const. f., Horologium oscillatorium, siue, De motu pendulorum ad horologia aptato demonstrationes geometricae. Parisiis, Apud F. Muguet.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bryan E. Penprase .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Penprase, B.E. (2011). Modern Timekeeping and the Development of the Science of Time. In: The Power of Stars. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6803-6_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics