Splitting the Second : The Story of Atomic Time (Paperback)

by A Jones (Author) "I expect you are reading this book because you are interested in time..." (more)
Key Phrases: national timing centres, caesium cycles, flipped atoms, Ephemeris Time, Universal Time, Naval Observatory (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
...traces the history of the development, applications, and relevance of splitting the second...Highly recommended. -- Choice Magazine, March 2001

A fascinating account of how time has been measured and the problems with the timekeeping methods that drove the development of better clocks …. Jones's book is a quick and interesting read. He succinctly presents physical explanations for the workings of different kinds of atomic clocks and weaves a compelling, detailed account of the difficulties of keeping accurate time.
Donavan Hall, History of Physics Newsletter, Vol. IX, No. 1

A fascinating account of how time has been measured and the problems with the timekeeping methods that drove the development of better clocks …. Joness book is a quick and interesting read. He succinctly presents physical explanations for the workings of different kinds of atomic clocks and weaves a compelling, detailed account of the difficulties of keeping accurate time.
Donavan Hall, History of Physics Newsletter, Vol. IX, No. 1

Anyone who is intrigued by fantastic precision or curious about how we really know the time, or simply likes tales of science and technology, will enjoy Splitting the Second.
-Nature

As a lifelong student of clocks, to me this book could not have been more welcome. The book is highly technical, yet for the nonphysicist it is eminently readable. The author unravels the arcane mysteries of the structure of the atom and its particles, with readily understandable text. Throughout we are kept fully aware of the impact of this new technology on the outside world of timekeeping and measurement.
-Alan Smith, Astronomy Now, June 2001

In his book ,Jones covers the history of all aspects of timekeeping and introduces the reader to a host of related technical problems. His explanations do not involve undue technical complexity but give the reader a firm grasp of how the solutions were developed.
-Historical Electronics Museum Newsletter

The book will appeal to a wide range of readers from physical scientists to the man-in-the-street.
-Aslib Book Guide

With great clarity, the author describes highly technical concepts and the devices used to implement them. I would especially recommend this book to scientists and engineers who want to learn the most recent developments in this intriguing field. I would also strongly recommend the book for nontechnical individuals because it is so readable.
-William J. Klepczynski, Rittenhouse-Journal of the American Scientific Instrument Enterprise

cinating account of how time has been measured and the problems with the timekeeping methods that drove the development of better clocks …. Jones's book is a quick and interesting read. He succinctly presents physical explanations for the workings of different kinds of atomic clocks and weaves a compelling, detailed account of the difficulties of keeping accurate time.
Donavan Hall, History of Physics Newsletter, Vol. IX, No. 1

cinating account of how time has been measured and the problems with the timekeeping methods that drove the development of better clocks …. Joness book is a quick and interesting read. He succinctly presents physical explanations for the workings of different kinds of atomic clocks and weaves a compelling, detailed account of the difficulties of keeping accurate time.
Donavan Hall, History of Physics Newsletter, Vol. IX, No. 1

… a splendid book for the inquiring layman, sixth-form student, and undergraduate and it's excellent value for money.
-The Observatory

… a very readable, popular account of the development of modern atomic timekeeping … [it is] an interesting, readable account of the state of modern timekeeping … a good introduction and well worth reading by those interested in this rather poorly documented area of modern science and technology.
-Dennis D. McCarthy (U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington D.C.), Physics Today, October 2001

… no astronomer, however amateur, should be without.
-Astronomy Now

… a splendid book for the inquiring layman, sixth-form student, and undergraduate and its excellent value for money.
-The Observatory

… a very readable, popular account of the development of modern atomic timekeeping … [it is] an interesting, readable account of the state of modern timekeeping … a good introduction and well worth reading by those interested in this rather poorly documented area of modern science and technology.
-Dennis D. McCarthy (U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington D.C.), Physics Today, October 2001

… no astronomer, however amateur, should be without.
-Astronomy Now

Product Description
Until the 1950s timekeeping was based on the apparent motion of the Sun that in turn reflected the rotation of the Earth on its axis. But the Earth does not turn smoothly. By the 1940s it was clear that the length of the day fluctuated unpredictably and with it the length of the second. Astronomers wanted to redefine the second in terms of the motions of the Moon and the planets. Physicists wanted to dispense with astronomical time altogether and define the second in terms of the fundamental properties of atoms. The physicists won. The revolution began in June 1955 with the operation of the first successful atomic clock and was complete by October 1967 when the atomic second ousted the astronomical second as the international unit of time. Splitting the Second: The Story of Atomic Time presents the story of this revolution, explaining how atomic clocks work, how more than 200 of them are used to form the world's time, and why we need leap seconds. The book illustrates how accurate time is distributed around the world and what it is used for. It concludes with a look at the future of timekeeping.

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis; 1 edition (September 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750306408
• ISBN-13: 978-0750306409
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,249,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Non-Mathematical Monograph, February 4, 2003

By	WryCoder (Ipswich, MA USA) - See all my reviews

I think a better subtitle would have been, "The Constant Search for Time," because only a third of the book is devoted to atomic clocks. The development of increasingly stable and accurate clocks is covered in detail, thankfully without dwelling on Harrison's efforts (already well covered in other books).

As better clocks were built, measurements showed increasingly subtle causes for variations in the length of the day ranging from a non-circular orbit, to tidal effects, to crust movements, and down to atmospheric effects on the rotation rate. All these are covered in detail.

The most convenient source of time with nanosecond accuracy is now the GPS satellites. Jones describes how special and general relativity affect their timekeeping and how these effects are compensated.

He also goes into great detail about the international organizations responsible for managing UTC and the complex methods used to average the time from the primary standards and hundreds of secondary standards to produce UTC. Jones manages to do this without losing the reader's attention.

Although the book avoids any math or advanced physics, it does not condescend in any way, and is directed to the mature reader. There are explanations of cesium and rubidium frequency standards, hydrogen masers, and also the latest developments: laser cooling and cesium fountains.

It would have been nice if the author had included a bibliography, but this is compensated by providing the URLs for all the major world timekeeping organizations and also links to a number of web sites devoted to time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to time scales and timing applications, November 3, 2006

By	John M. Franke (Yorktown, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Tony Jones has crafted an excellent history of time keeping from basic astronomy to pendulum and quartz clocks to modern atomic clocks. The problems and successes at each level are clearly explained. The text is at the early undergraduate level and is unencumbered with mathematics. Precision time has become imbedded in the activities of modern civilizations and it is interesting to see how the determination and dissemination of time has become complex as the accuracy has improved.