Time's Pendulum: From Sundials to Atomic Clocks, the Fascinating History of Timekeeping and How Our Discoveries Changed the World (Paperback)

by Jo Ellen Barnett (Author) "LET'S BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING..." (more)
Key Phrases: temporary hours, radioactive clocks, radiocarbon clock, Middle Ages, United States, Book of Hours (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Likely you've heard that the mechanical clock is one of humanity's most significant inventions, comparable to the printing press, or electricity, or the automobile. But first-time author Jo Ellen Barnett admits that most of us, if we're honest, don't quite see why. Our perception of time, and our artificial division of it into little, repeatable pieces, is so ingrained in us that we forget it's an invention.

Barnett, who admits to having been fascinated by time all her life, seems the perfect person to clear up this conceptual blind spot. Drawing from many disciplines, she's conducted a sweeping survey of our relationship with time, from our earliest attempts to measure and understand it to our more recent breakthroughs with carbon dating and atomic clocks. Time's Pendulum never skimps on the science, with its detailed explanations and unapologetic technical discussions. But what makes the book so very likable (and readable) is Barnett's passion for meditating on time's cultural and even spiritual mysteries. If you're already intrigued by time, Time's Pendulum makes for a satisfying, meaty read, rich in insights and historical anecdotes; if you aren't already intrigued, you will be. --Paul Hughes

Review

“With Time's Pendulum, Barnett has shown us that there is a mystery and a great story to be found in the very time that flows past us and which rules our lives. There is no need for wild speculation. Time's Pendulum is history. In both senses of an ambiguous phrase, it is the history of our time."-New Scientist
“The story of time and its machines is long, but indisputably interesting. [Barnett's book ]. . . is entertaining and worth a few hours' reading time."-The San Diego Union-Tribune

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Product Details Paperback: 334 pages Publisher: Harcourt Brace/Harvest Book (March 25, 1999) Language: English ISBN-10: 0156006499 ISBN-13: 978-0156006491 Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #526,216 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #80 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Time #93 in  Books > Science > Experiments, Instruments & Measurement > Time

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
LET'S BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
temporary hours, radioactive clocks, radiocarbon clock, geological column, planetary basis, traditional clock, early clocks, turning planet, crown wheel, equal hours, earth clock, mechanical clock, cesium atom, canonical hours

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Middle Ages, United States, Book of Hours, John Harrison, Lord Kelvin, New York, James Hutton, Marie Curie, Arthur Holmes, Bishop Ussher, British Isles, Great Cycle, World War, Empire State Building, Ernest Rutherford, Ice Age, Industrial Revolution, John Frere, Roman Empire, Books of Hours, Divine Office, John Donne, Julius Africanus, Lewis Mumford, Martin Luther

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 76 books:

• Geologic Time (2nd Edition) (Foundations of Earth Sciences Series) by on Eicher on 5 pages
• On the Origin of Species (Penguin Classics) by Charles Darwin on 5 pages
• The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin on 5 pages
• The Origin Of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition by Charles Darwin on 5 pages
• The Age of the Earth by G. Dalrymple on 4 pages

See all 76 books this book cites

 

2 books cite this book:

• Time Lord : Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time by Clark Blaise in Back Matter
• Time Lord: Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time by Clark Blaise in Back Matter

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer

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• radioactive clocks
• geological column
• cesium atom

Ideas by Peter Watson

Discusses:

• equal hours
• canonical hours
• James Hutton

Instant Expert by Cooksey Shugart

Discusses:

• crown wheel
• equal hours
• first wrist watch

365 More Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials by Judy Breckenridge

Discusses:

• radioactive clocks
• early clocks
• cesium atom

Longitude by Dava Sobel

Discusses:

• early clocks
• mechanical clock
• John Harrison

Uriel's Machine by Christopher Knight

Discusses:

• radiocarbon clock
• traditional clock
• British Isles

Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer Discusses: radioactive clocks geological column cesium atom Ideas by Peter Watson Discusses: equal hours canonical hours James Hutton Instant Expert by Cooksey Shugart Discusses: crown wheel equal hours first wrist watch 365 More Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials by Judy Breckenridge Discusses: radioactive clocks early clocks cesium atom Loading...

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	72% buy the item featured on this page: Time's Pendulum: From Sundials to Atomic Clocks, the Fascinating History of Timekeeping and How Our Discoveries Changed the World 4.4 out of 5 stars (5) $11.25
	9% buy From Sundials to Atomic Clocks: Understanding Time and Frequency, Second Revised Edition $11.01
	9% buy Sundials: Their Theory and Construction 4.6 out of 5 stars (9) $9.95
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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 18 of 19 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling introduction to the history of clockmaking, May 8, 1999 By  [e-mail] (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews This is really two books--the first is a chronological history of time measurement devices, and the second is a history of humankind's perception of the age of humanity, the earth, and the universe. The first book is fascinating and well written. Writing for a general readership, Barnett explores the development of clockmaking and how the existence of ever more accurate clocks has irrevocably changed everyday life for us all. Her detailed explanation of the verge-and-foliot escapement was especially fascinating, as was her discussion of "the equation of time" and how it gives rise to the Mean in Greenwich Mean Time. Overall, the first half of her book is a wonderful introduction to an underappreciated portion of humanity's history. The second half of Barnett's book, however, is a rehash of material that Isaac Asimov explored fully in his nonfiction writings in the 1960s and 1970s. It may hold the interest of readers unfamiliar with Asimov, but for me it was a real disappointment, especially after such a compelling introduction to the history of clocks and clockmaking. 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Two books in one, both interesting!, March 10, 2004 By  Bruce R. Gilson (Rockville, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       Jo Ellen Barnett has written two books here, hidden between one set of covers. The first part goes over the history of how we have measured (and, truly, how we have defined) the time of day, starting with the "temporary hours" of a sundial (longer in summer, shorter in winter, and not even counted during the night), and transitioning to equal (but still based on the sun) hours (local apparent time), then to local mean time, to standard (time-zone) time, and ending up with the current Coordinated Universal Time, based on atomic phenomena. The story is absorbing and well written, and would be an enjoyable book all by itself. Then she has a second part, concerned with the way we have determined the age of the earth. This could be said to start with the speculations of the Babylonians and Greeks, but really took off in earnest with medievals' attempts to build everything on a Biblical basis, reading into the Biblical account whatever they needed to build their chronology. When the geologists tried to account for their own observations, however, it was clear that the few thousand years the Bible literalists derived for the age of the earth was far too small, but physicists like Lord Kelvin (while arriving at a longer time than the Bible provided) still reached an age of the earth too brief to mesh with the geological evidence. Only with the discovery of radioasctivity and the refinement of the techniques of deriving chronological data from radioactivity measurements could the physicists and geologists be reconciled. Both parts make it clear that ultimately time has become defined in terms of atomic phenomena (though different parts of the atom) and only through our measurement of these can accuracy be attained (whether in the case of the time of day or the time the earth has taken to evolve since its origin). Unlike some other two-part books I have reviewed, this one puts them both together successfully. It is a very interesting book. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book, June 14, 2001 By  Daniel Graf "Daniel Graf" (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       Time's Pendulum is a book not only about time and how time is measured, but also about our perception of time -- from the moment we as a species started worrying about it right up to today. Barnett does not only discuss clocks and how clocks work but the importance of time in daily life. Also excellent is her discussion of 'deep time' -- thinking about time on astronomical scales. I was also pleased by the more subtle connections. For example, the influence of the railroads on not only synchronizing watches over extending longitutes (i.e., time zones), but also their contribution to geologic time through uncovering the fossiliferous rocks during their construction.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview I've already had some interest in the topic, but wanted to pickup another book and see what else I could learn, so got this one based on the reviews. Read more Published on June 15, 2007 by S. Kosloske 4.0 out of 5 stars If I could keep time in a bottle.... How many times a day do we unconsciously look at our watches, or the clock on the stove or the VCR (provided it's not permanently blinking 12:00)? Read more Published on October 26, 2002 by J. J. Kwashnak Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 334 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace/Harvest Book (March 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156006499
• ISBN-13: 978-0156006491
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #526,216 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #80 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Time
  #93 in	Books > Science > Experiments, Instruments & Measurement > Time

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling introduction to the history of clockmaking, May 8, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This is really two books--the first is a chronological history of time measurement devices, and the second is a history of humankind's perception of the age of humanity, the earth, and the universe. The first book is fascinating and well written. Writing for a general readership, Barnett explores the development of clockmaking and how the existence of ever more accurate clocks has irrevocably changed everyday life for us all. Her detailed explanation of the verge-and-foliot escapement was especially fascinating, as was her discussion of "the equation of time" and how it gives rise to the Mean in Greenwich Mean Time. Overall, the first half of her book is a wonderful introduction to an underappreciated portion of humanity's history. The second half of Barnett's book, however, is a rehash of material that Isaac Asimov explored fully in his nonfiction writings in the 1960s and 1970s. It may hold the interest of readers unfamiliar with Asimov, but for me it was a real disappointment, especially after such a compelling introduction to the history of clocks and clockmaking.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two books in one, both interesting!, March 10, 2004

By	Bruce R. Gilson (Rockville, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jo Ellen Barnett has written two books here, hidden between one set of covers. The first part goes over the history of how we have measured (and, truly, how we have defined) the time of day, starting with the "temporary hours" of a sundial (longer in summer, shorter in winter, and not even counted during the night), and transitioning to equal (but still based on the sun) hours (local apparent time), then to local mean time, to standard (time-zone) time, and ending up with the current Coordinated Universal Time, based on atomic phenomena. The story is absorbing and well written, and would be an enjoyable book all by itself.

Then she has a second part, concerned with the way we have determined the age of the earth. This could be said to start with the speculations of the Babylonians and Greeks, but really took off in earnest with medievals' attempts to build everything on a Biblical basis, reading into the Biblical account whatever they needed to build their chronology. When the geologists tried to account for their own observations, however, it was clear that the few thousand years the Bible literalists derived for the age of the earth was far too small, but physicists like Lord Kelvin (while arriving at a longer time than the Bible provided) still reached an age of the earth too brief to mesh with the geological evidence. Only with the discovery of radioasctivity and the refinement of the techniques of deriving chronological data from radioactivity measurements could the physicists and geologists be reconciled.

Both parts make it clear that ultimately time has become defined in terms of atomic phenomena (though different parts of the atom) and only through our measurement of these can accuracy be attained (whether in the case of the time of day or the time the earth has taken to evolve since its origin).

Unlike some other two-part books I have reviewed, this one puts them both together successfully. It is a very interesting book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book, June 14, 2001

By	Daniel Graf "Daniel Graf" (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Time's Pendulum is a book not only about time and how time is measured, but also about our perception of time -- from the moment we as a species started worrying about it right up to today. Barnett does not only discuss clocks and how clocks work but the importance of time in daily life. Also excellent is her discussion of 'deep time' -- thinking about time on astronomical scales. I was also pleased by the more subtle connections. For example, the influence of the railroads on not only synchronizing watches over extending longitutes (i.e., time zones), but also their contribution to geologic time through uncovering the fossiliferous rocks during their construction.