Sundial

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Objective
To demonstrate that the Earth is rotating in relation to the Sun, by
showing how a shadow moves throughout the day.
Background
- Sundial is the earliest timekeeping device
- The first group who used the sundial was the Egyptians and
babylonians
- The Greeks also used a sundial called the “pelekinon” where the
gnomon or vertical rod was placed on a horizontal or half spherical
face.
- First Sundial in Zhou Dynasty in Ancient China
- Sun’s ray will provide the shadow which will rotate and change the
position over time → depends on rotation and movement of the sun.
Background (cont.)
- The sundials tell time by casting shadows or light on the base plate
- This plate is flat but it can be shaped spherical, circular, conical or
just about any shape.
- The face has markings on it to indicate the time.
- Some sundials help calculate the dates and the dial may contain
multiple markings.
- Time can be calculated most accurately at noon.
Background (cont.)
- The working of a sundial is not simple because the tilted axis of the earth. By
aligning the gnomon with the earth’s axis, the difference can be
compensated.
- Different sundials have different principles for calculating time.
- horizontal sundial : the gnomon or needle is tilted in line with the earth’s axis
while the base is kept horizontally.
- equatorial sundial, the base plate is kept at an angle that is parallel to the
equator while the gnomon is perpendicular to the plate.
- The most common type is the vertical sundial where the base plate is vertical
and the gnomon is aligned to the earth’s axis.
Background (cont.)
equatorial sundial vertical sundial
Materials
1. Cardboard 6. Tape

2. Pencil 7. Scissors

3. Ruler 8. Magnetic compass

4. Coloured paper 9. Stopwatch

5. Coloured Straw 10. Clay

Procedure
● Make a pencil mark in the center (two inches from the bottom)

● Put the straw on the pencil mark with the straw slightly bent, and put clay

around the base to hold the straw in place.

● Find the place where the sun shines all day and you can leave the sundial in

the same position.

● Use a compass to find North. Position the cardboard so that the shadow of

the straw aligns with North on the compass.

Procedure (cont.)
● Use the masking tape to secure the cardboard to the ground or table.

● Set your alarm for the next top of the hour (noon, 1:00, 2:00, etc). When the

alarm rings, observe where the shadow of the straw is cast on and make a

pencil mark along the edge of the ruler.

● Write the hours next to, on top of, or underneath the mark.

● Repeat the observation and notes at each hour. If you started in the

afternoon, comeback to the sundial the next day in the morning hours to

complete the hour marks.

Our Sundial!
Observation and Results
As the day went by, the shadow of the straw changes the position

throughout the hours and day. Shadow of the straw casts on the clock and

from that we can approximately determine the time of day.

 Analysis
The fact that the shadow casts on an exact time seems to prove the point that

the earth really rotates relative to the sun. When the earth is rotating, the sun

appears to move across the sky which causes an object to cast its shadow. The

sundial is, therefore, built base on the same basis. The time is shown according to

the motion of the shadow relative to the sun.

 Analysis (cont.)
However, the time that is shown on the clock is not that exact since we use a

straw as a clock hand. When we try using the clock under the sun, because of the

unexpected wind, the straw we use cannot resist the wind and make the result

not that accurate. Another reason is because of a human error during the process

of measurement. When we trace the line from the shadow to the numbers on the

clock , we might draw the line not precise and not proper.
Conclusion
The shadow of the straw points

according to the Sun’s movement, which

demonstrates that the Earth is rotating

relative to the Sun.