Revolutions in Time: The world of Louis Essen, clockmaker and father of atomic time

Revolutions in Time explores the world of precision timekeeping from its secret military origins to its emergence as a multi-billion-dollar industry. The story focuses on a government scientist, Louis Essen, and his quest to build the most accurate clocks in the world. Essen’s ground-breaking work led to a revolution in time measurement during the 20th century and one that is still ongoing. Although there were several attempts to make an atomic clock in the United States and the Soviet Union after the Second World War, it was a British physicist, Louis Essen, who succeeded in building the first operational atomic clock in 1955. The author explains why the measurement of time became so important to the two superpowers during the Cold War and how capitalist and communist countries turned to Britain for the secrets of the atomic clock that would help them solve the urgent problems of missile-guidance and accurate navigation for nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. Louis Essen was also a controversial figure in other ways. He successfully argued that there was an error in the accepted value of the speed of light and he fought tirelessly to remove our dependence on astronomical timekeeping – which eventually led to the closure of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. His criticisms of Einstein’s theory of relativity caused great consternation amongst his colleagues yet his contributions to science were honoured by both America and Russia during the Cold War. Revolutions in Time reads more like a thriller than a biography as it tells the story of how the world has come to depend more-and-more on being able to tell the exact time.
ASIN: B08NVF9BBX
VSKU: BVV.B08NVF9BBX.VG
Condition: Very Good
Author/Artist:Essen, Ray
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Book has little sign of wear or use