This is a 15-minute paper sundial in two senses: it takes 15-minutes to make and is labeled to the nearest 15-minutes. It is made of paper, but I designed the gnomon to have a three-dimensional base for greater stability, tapering to a thin top for better accuracy around noon.
The hard work was my doing the trigonometry for the three-dimensional paper-craft gnomon and writing a perl script that generates a pdf file for a particular location. But with the script written, you should be able to print out a sundial from the generator on my website and construct it in fifteen minutes.
Ingredients and tools:
You can load the PDF file into a vector drawing application like Inkscape and make it fancier. Just make sure that if you resize the dial, you resize the gnomon (the pointer) in the same proportions. The script is open source so you can modify it as you see fit.
You can presumably trace the printout on copper sheets to make a fancier dial and gnomon. I'd love to see it.
This would make a good classroom project at various levels, depending on how deep you get into explaining how it works.
Note: The script currently works for latitudes between 24 degrees (north or south) and 65 degrees (north or south). (That covers all of the contiguous 48 states in the U.S., much of the populous parts of Canada and Europe, all of South Africa, much of India, etc.) The limitations are due to the way the gnomon is designed to work both when shadows are short and when they are long, and its having a wider base.
The hard work was my doing the trigonometry for the three-dimensional paper-craft gnomon and writing a perl script that generates a pdf file for a particular location. But with the script written, you should be able to print out a sundial from the generator on my website and construct it in fifteen minutes.
Ingredients and tools:
- Two sheets of paper, ideally cardstock or some other heavy stock.
- Scissors
- Paper glue (I use Aleene's)
- Printer
- Ruler
- Something pointy, e.g., a pen with no ink or a small screwdriver
- Computer with internet access, PDF viewer, and printer
You can load the PDF file into a vector drawing application like Inkscape and make it fancier. Just make sure that if you resize the dial, you resize the gnomon (the pointer) in the same proportions. The script is open source so you can modify it as you see fit.
You can presumably trace the printout on copper sheets to make a fancier dial and gnomon. I'd love to see it.
This would make a good classroom project at various levels, depending on how deep you get into explaining how it works.
Note: The script currently works for latitudes between 24 degrees (north or south) and 65 degrees (north or south). (That covers all of the contiguous 48 states in the U.S., much of the populous parts of Canada and Europe, all of South Africa, much of India, etc.) The limitations are due to the way the gnomon is designed to work both when shadows are short and when they are long, and its having a wider base.
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You will need the following information:
Print both pages of the PDF file, ideally on heavy paper, e.g., card stock.
- your zip code (if you're in the US) or latitude/longitude (this site should help)
- your timezone
- whether your location has daylight savings time (time change between winter and summer time).
Print both pages of the PDF file, ideally on heavy paper, e.g., card stock.
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2. How did you check for north?
2.i have a compass
2. Did you correct for daylight savings if needed?
2. i don't have day light saving
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag-web/#declination
4 degrees aprox
i already have a sundial generated in a website, but you locate the edges of your home and it generates a sundial to put in your window (really nice). but for some reason i like too much this kind of sundials i found them more attractive.
Now....
Does size matter on this?
Could I size the dial down, let's say 50%.
Would that effect the time?
Could I make one that you could wear around your wrist?
Kinda like a joke...Caveman watch?
Do post a picture if you make a copper one.
Your link to your script.
http://analemmatic.sf.net/cgi-bin/papercraft.pl
Is bringing me somewhere else.
I had to cut and copy the link in a new browser window.
You may want to fix that!
I do have a piece of copper here.
I may have to give it a try!
Love the sundial generator!
Great job.
Erro: Latitude must be between 24 and 60 degrees (north or south).
And now?