Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
by: Dava Sobel
List Price: $12.95
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Dewey Decimal Number: 526.62
EAN: 9780802715296
ISBN: 0007790163
Label: Walker & Company
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 208
Publication Date: October 30, 2007
Publisher: Walker & Company
Release Date: October 30, 2007
Sales Rank: 7490
Studio: Walker & Company
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Anyone alive in the eighteenth century would have known that “the longitude problem” was the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day—and had been for centuries. Lacking the ability to measure their longitude, sailors throughout the great ages of exploration had been literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Thousands of lives and the increasing fortunes of nations hung on a resolution. One man, John Harrison, in complete opposition to the scientific community, dared to imagine a mechanical solution—a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had ever been able to do on land. Longitude is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of Harrison’s forty-year obsession with building his perfect timekeeper, known today as the chronometer. Full of heroism and chicanery, it is also a fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation, and clockmaking, and opens a new window on our world.
Amazon.com Review:
The thorniest scientific problem of the eighteenth century was how to determine longitude. Many thousands of lives had been lost at sea over the centuries due to the inability to determine an east-west position. This is the engrossing story of the clockmaker, John 'Longitude' Harrison, who solved the problem that Newton and Galileo had failed to conquer, yet claimed only half the promised rich reward.
Average Rating: 
Rating:
- Longitude - Great for science-minded kids over 10I bought this for my visiting grandson. We had a fine time reading it together and discussing what ... Read More
Rating:
- Longitude is terrificThis book is a well-written story about how scientists and engineers figured out how to navigate the ... Read More
Rating:
- Surprisingly fantastic!My husband (a scientist) loves books on exploration and discovery. When he finished this book - surprisingly ... Read More
Rating:
- Very InterestingA short but well written book that sheds light on an almost forgotten man who changed the world. Interesting ... Read More
Rating:
- Genuinely great story, but BEWARE of some inaccuracies in this book.John Harrison completes his first pendulum clock in 1713 before the age of 20. He made the gears for this out ... Read More
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