Longitude : the true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time
(Book)
Author
Published
New York ; Bloomsbury, [2007].
ISBN
9780802715296, 080271529X
Lexile measure
1310L
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Status
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Messenger Public Library of North Aurora - Nonfiction | 526.62 SOB | On Shelf |
More Details
Published
New York ; Bloomsbury, [2007].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xiv, 184 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations, color portraits ; 19 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780802715296, 080271529X
Accelerated Reader
UG
Level 9.7, 7 Points
Level 9.7, 7 Points
Lexile measure
1310
Notes
General Note
Reprint. Originally published: New York : Walker, 2005.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-180) and index.
Description
Describes the forty-year effort of John Harrison to invent the chronometer, the first instrument able to keep accurate time for navigational purposes.
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. The quest for a solution had occupied scientists for the better part of two centuries when, in 1714, England's parliament upped the ante by offering a king's ransom (£20,000, or approximately $12 million in today's currency) to anyone whose method or device proved successful and reproducible. The scientific establishment throughout Europe -- from Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton -- had mapped the heavens in it pursuit of a celestial answer. In stark contrast, one man, John Harrison, 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, brilliance and absurdity, it is also a fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation, and clockmaking."--Page [2-3] of cover.
Target Audience
1310 L,Lexile
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Sobel, D. (2007). Longitude: the true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time ([Tenth aniversary edition].). Bloomsbury.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Sobel, Dava. 2007. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. Bloomsbury.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Sobel, Dava. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time Bloomsbury, 2007.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Sobel, Dava. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time [Tenth aniversary edition]., Bloomsbury, 2007.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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