Dava Sobel
Overview
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of popular expositions of scientific topics. She graduated from the Bronx High School of Science
Bronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...
and Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
. Her works include:
- LongitudeLongitude (book)Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time is a best-selling book by Dava Sobel about John Harrison, an 18th century clockmaker who created the first clock sufficiently accurate to be used to determine longitude at sea—an important development...
: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time (1995) - the genius in question was John HarrisonJohn HarrisonJohn Harrison was a self-educated English clockmaker. He invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought device in solving the problem of establishing the East-West position or longitude of a ship at sea, thus revolutionising and extending the possibility of safe long distance sea travel in the Age...
, who spent decades trying to convince the British Admiralty of the accuracy of his naval timepieces and their use in determining longitudeLongitudeLongitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
when at sea in order to win the longitude prizeLongitude prizeThe Longitude Prize was a reward offered by the British government for a simple and practical method for the precise determination of a ship's longitude...
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