G. J. Whitrow (1912-2000) begins this classic exploration of the nature of time with a story about a Russian poet, visiting London before the First World War. The poet's English was not too good and when he asked a man in the street, 'Please, what is time?' he received the response, 'But that's a philosophical question. Why ask me?'. Starting from this simple anecdote, Professor Whitrow takes us on a good-humoured and wide-ranging tour of the
thing that clocks keep (more or less). He discusses how our ideas of time originated; how far they are inborn in plants and animals; how time has been measured, from sundial and hourglass to the
caesium clock, and whether time possesses a beginning, a direction, and an end. He coaxes the diffident layman to contemplate with pleasure the differences between cyclic, linear, biological, cosmic, and space-time, and he provides frequent diversions into fascinating topics such as the Mayan calendar, the migration of birds, the dances of bees, precognition, and the short, crowded lives of mu-mesons, particles produced by cosmic-ray showers that exist for just two millionths of a
second.This reissue of the classic and authoritative What is Time? includes a new introduction by Dr J. T. Fraser, founder of the International Society for the Study of Time, and a
bibliographic essay by Dr Fraser and Professor M. P. Soulsby of the Pennsylvania State University.
- ISBN:
- 9780198607816
- 9780198607816
-
Category:
- Popular science
- Format:
- Paperback
- Publication Date:
-
11-12-2003
- Language:
- English
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Country of origin:
- United Kingdom
- Pages:
- 186
- Dimensions (mm):
- 195x128x13mm
- Weight:
- 0.16kg
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