Sonar to Quartz clock: Technology and physics in war, academy, and industry

The book examines how the hitherto unapplied phenomenon of piezoelectricity became applied for technologies such as sonar, frequency control and the quartz clock and how its research has consequently changed during WWI and the interwar period. It has two main aims. First it aims at reconstructing, for the first time, the fascinating history of the inventions and the development of these highly important technologies, which are still in extensive use, and which were crucial for the electronic revolution, arguably the most important technological developments of the twentieth century. On this basis, the book suggests better and more nuanced understanding of the relationships between modern science and technology and the process of development and innovation in science-based technologies. It examines in particular the mutual transfer and transformation of knowledge between them including the way physics becomes practically applicable, the way applications and societal interests shape technology and science, and the differences and similarities between scientific and technological research. To these ends the book closely analyses the scientific and technological research and development in the field and their evolution on their experimental, theoretical and technical aspects within their social military and commercial contexts, offering an integrative history of science and technology, needed to better comprehend their interactions and evolution but rare in current historiography.