New ideas from teachers for related activities

A better way to measure sun angle

suggested by Andy Sajor, High School teacher, New York

"Instead of using the post shadow for determining the altitude of the Sun, my students use a very cheap and easy tool that they make themselves. We Xerox a protractor on cardstock (We get four to a sheet because you only need to go to 90 degrees.) Then glue a toilet paper tube to the 90 degree axis. Add a thread and nut to form a plumb bob and you have an inclinometer that can be used for many purposes. For solar observations students look at the shadow cast and when a perfect ring is seen the angle read by the plumb bob is the Sun's altitude. They also use it to take lunar and star elevations by sighting through the tube. Many students customize their inclinometers by adding cross hairs and hot gluing a compass for azimuth observations and adding extra cardboard to make it stronger."

The S'COOL team has adopted this approach. It is quite convenient. You can also use paper towel rolls for the tube. For a more durable instrument, segments of PVC pip will also work. The best way we have discovered to attach the protractor cut-out to the tube is by laying the cut-out flat on the tube, taping all along that edge, then flipping the cut-out over and taping on the other side. Fishing weights also work very well for plumb bobs.

A teacher at the 2001 Summer S'COOL teacher workshop displays the inclinometer she made.

A stand-alone sun angle activity

suggested by Debi Paul, a middle school teacher in Vermont

Use the inclinometer to make a measurement of sun angle at your school once per month (or per week) at local solar noon. The resulting data can be used to reinforce teaching of the seasons.

To add international flavor to this, you could also have a penpal school in another part of the world make measurements in coordination with your school, and then compare the results.

An easy way to get local solar noon

suggested by Fred Daingerfield, a retired teacher in Arizona

If your paper publishes daily sunrise and sunset times, you can determine (and verify) local solar noon as halfway between sunrise and sunset times.

Another way to High Noon

suggested by John Schaefers a middle school teacher in Pennsylvania

Instead of poster board, set up your solar noon post in a grassy area of the school grounds. Use tongue depressers and string to mark the shadow at different times near noon (you can write the time on the tongue depresser). This makes a visible record that other students in the school can also benefit from. Again, the shortest string marks High Noon.

Eratosthenes' Experiment - The Circumference of the Earth

suggested by Laura Corder-Chavez a High School Earth Science Teacher

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