Sidewalk Sundial - Tucson, AZ
Posted by: 
Team2002
N 32° 13.938 W 110° 56.867
12S E 504919 N 3566186
This sundial is located at the Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium on the campus of the University of Arizona.
Waymark Code: WMCMKC
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 09/21/2011
Views: 49
Sundials determine the time of day based on the position of the sun on a given date.
A sundial consists of the dial face which indicates the time and the date scale that is marked with the 12 months of the year, and a gnomon that is the vertical object which casts a shadow.
This sundial is known as an Analemmatic sundial or variable center dial that uses points along the circumference of an ellipse to tell the time and a movable gnomon. The placement of the gnomon is determined by mathematical calculations based on the latitude of the sundial on a given day of the year.
To use this sundial you will become part of the sundial, the gnomon, and the shadow you cast tells the time. By standing at the current date on the date scale with your back to the sun, your shadow will fall across the ellipse with the times indicated on it. On this dial there are marks for each quarter hour (15 minutes).
As indicated on the sundial, it only works when the sun is shining.
When I was there it was approximately 10:56 a.m. on September 21, 2011.
Scientific Principle(s) being demonstrated:
Use of the sun as a means of telling time.
Briefly explain if the experiment was effective for you. Could it have been better?:
Yes, the estimated time I came up with matched that of my phone.
When is the apparatus/experiment available to the public:
This exibit is avaiable 24 hours a day, seven days a week, however it is best visited during daylight hours.
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