Crystal Clear

Beschreibung

Quartz crystal-a technology that changed the tide of World WarII Some of the defining leaps in technology in the twentiethcentury occurred during the Second World War, from radar to nuclearenergy. Often left out of historical discussions are quartzcrystals, which proved to be just as pivotal to the Alliedvictory-and to post-war development-as other technologies. Quartzcrystals provided the U.S. military, for the first time, withreliable communication on the front lines, and then went on tobecome the core of some of the most basic devices of the post-warera, from watches, clocks, and color televisions, to cell phonesand computers. In Crystal Clear, Richard Thompson relates the story ofthe quartz crystal in World War II, from its early days as acuriosity for amateur radio enthusiasts, to its use by the UnitedStates Armed Forces. It follows the intrepid group of scientistsand engineers from the Office of the Chief Signal Officer of theU.S. Army as they raced to create an effective quartz crystal unit.They had to find a reliable supply of radio-quality quartz; devisemethods to reach, mine, and transport the quartz; find a way tomanufacture quartz crystal oscillators rapidly; and then solve thepuzzling "aging problem" that plagued the early units. Ultimately,the development of quartz oscillators became the second largestscientific undertaking in World War II after the ManhattanProject. Bringing to light a little-known aspect of World War II,Crystal Clear offers a glimpse inside one of the mostsignificant efforts in the annals of engineering.

Autor*in

Richard J. Thompson

Themen in »Crystal Clear«

Communication Technology Drahtlose Kommunikation Electrical & Electronics Engineering Elektrotechnik u. Elektronik Geschichte der Elektrotechnik History of Electrical Engineering Kommunikationstechnik Militärgeschichte Mobile & Wireless Communications

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"A fascinating book, in which I found the interplay of all thecharacters and companies becoming more and more enthralling."(Practical Wireless, March 2009) "...a highly readable and engaging account..." (IEEENewsletter, July 2007) "I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has theslightest interest in the topic." (E-STREAMS, June 2007) "...a fascinating account of a nearly-forgotten technologyleap that impacted the course of the war." (MonitoringTimes, December 2006)
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