TIMEKEEPING .

Captain P. V. H. Weems

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	The rotation of the earth, though now known to be variable, is the basis of time. Each rotation relative to the sun gives 13s day and night, our first timekeeper. Ancient man, with hour glasses, water clocks and other crude means, divided day and night into 12 parts called hours. Much later the hours were divided into minutes, and still later the minutes were divided into seconds. If modern scientists could prescribe time units, they would doubtless base them on the decimal system, yet custom is so strong that it would be difficult for us to break away from the familiar twelve hour dial, not to mention the cost to the watch industry.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 3, Number 4
Pages:	117 - 120
Cite this article:	Weems, Captain P. V. H., "TIMEKEEPING .", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1952-1953, pp. 117-120.
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