Harrison Decoded (Paperback)

Paperback. Harrison Decoded: Towards a Perfect Pendulum Clock brings together the output of a forty-year collaborative research project that unpicked and put into practice the fine details of John Harrison's extraordinary pendulum clock system. Harrison predicted that his unique method of making pendulum clocks could provide as much as one-hundred-times the stability of those made by his contemporaries. However, his final publication, which promised to describe thesystem, was a chaotic jumble of information, much of which had nothing to do with clockwork. One contemporary reviewer of Harrison's book could only suggest that the end result was a product of Harrison's'superannuated dotage.'The focus of this book centres on the making, adjusting, and testing of Clock B which was the subject of various trials at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. The modern history of Clock B is accompanied by scientific analysis of the clock system, Clock B's performance, the methods of data-gathering alongside historical perspectives on Harrison's clockmaking, that of his contemporaries, and some evaluation of the possible influence of early 18thcentury scientific thought. This book is an exposition of the lesser-known work of the maverick clockmaker, John Harrison (1693-1776). McEvoy and Betts explore Harrison's background, methodology, and thinking. For those with a practical interest, the book is an excellent starting point for anyone wishing to make a pendulum clock. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…