About this Item
Paperback. 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 thething 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 thecaesium 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 asecond.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 abibliographic essay by Dr Fraser and Professor M. P. Soulsby of the Pennsylvania State University. Professor Whitrow takes us on a good-humoured 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 be Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780198607816
Bibliographic Details
Title: What is Time? (Paperback)
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Oxford
Publication Date: 2003
Binding: Paperback
Condition: new
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