Time's Mysteries Part I: Marking Time
Monday 28 December 2009
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ENCORE Time’s a mystery, yet we’ve invented clever ways to capture it. From sundials to atomic clocks, trace the history of time-keeping. Also, discover the surprising accuracy of nature’s dating schemes – from the decay of carbon to laying down tree rings.
Plus, why the “New York minute” stretches to hours in Rio de Janeiro: cultural differences in the perception of time.
Guests:
- Chris Turney – Geologist at the University of Wollongong, Australia and the author of Bones, Rocks and Stars: The Science of When Things Happened
- Demetrios Matsakis – Head of the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Time Service
- Steven Jefferts – Physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado
- Robert Levine – Psychologist at California State University in Fresno and the author of A Geography of Time: The Temporal Misadventures of a Social Psychologist, or How Every Culture Keeps Time Just a Little Bit Differently
- Norman Mohr – Owner, Mohr Clocks, Mountain View, California
This episode was tagged with: Chris Turney Demetrios Matsakis Steven Jefferts Robert Levine Norman Mohr time perception US Naval Observatory clock clocks sundials atomic clock geography
