What is time? / [by] G.J. Whitrow.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: London : Thames and Hudson, 1972Description: 191 pages : illustrations ; 23 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 0500010854
  • 9780500010853
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
1 The origin of our idea of time -- 2 Time and ourselves -- 3 Biological clocks -- 4 The measurement of time -- 5 Time and relativity -- 6 Time, gravitation and the universe -- 7 The origin and arrow of time -- 8 The significance of time -- Appendix: Temporal order in special relativity -- Index.
Subject: What is time? Is it something that has objective existence, like length or heat? Or is it just a man-made concept? St Augustine said that if no one asked him, he knew, but if he tried to explain it to someone then he had to admit that he did not know. In this witty and wide-ranging book Dr Whitrow discusses how our ideas of time originated; how far they are inborn in man and beast; how time has been measured, from sand-glass to the atomic clock; time, gravity and the universe; and whether time can be said to have a beinning, a direction, and an end. He gives a fascinating account, in layman's terms, of Einstein's four-dimensional space-time, and helps to clarify the mysteries of such diverse topics as the Maya priesthood, the dance of the bees, and precognition in dreams. (Inside cover).
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode
Books Books Jost Bürgi Library Reading Room Juvenile QB209.5 .W45 1972 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 31560000058160

Includes index.

1 The origin of our idea of time -- 2 Time and ourselves -- 3 Biological clocks -- 4 The measurement of time -- 5 Time and relativity -- 6 Time, gravitation and the universe -- 7 The origin and arrow of time -- 8 The significance of time -- Appendix: Temporal order in special relativity -- Index.

What is time? Is it something that has objective existence, like length or heat? Or is it just a man-made concept? St Augustine said that if no one asked him, he knew, but if he tried to explain it to someone then he had to admit that he did not know. In this witty and wide-ranging book Dr Whitrow discusses how our ideas of time originated; how far they are inborn in man and beast; how time has been measured, from sand-glass to the atomic clock; time, gravity and the universe; and whether time can be said to have a beinning, a direction, and an end. He gives a fascinating account, in layman's terms, of Einstein's four-dimensional space-time, and helps to clarify the mysteries of such diverse topics as the Maya priesthood, the dance of the bees, and precognition in dreams. (Inside cover).

31560000058160 15610

A book examining the essence of time

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