======Create a Sundial======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Measuring Time with the Sun
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  *See links below for methods on making and using a sundial.



====Links==== 
Make a Sundial STEM Activity - Mission Viejo, CA: 
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Make your own Sundial! | Nanogirl's Lab | STEM activities for kids - Nanogirl - STEM activities for kids: 
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📄 It’s About Time….To Make A Sundial! - Megan Arnett: [[https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/its-about-timeto-make-a-sundial]]\\

📄 Create a Sundial -  Gaffney, L., and Harper, A: [[https://cms.qut.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/24092/create-sundial-teacher-worksheet.pdf]]\\


====Variations====
  *Build a larger outdoor sundial using wood or metal.  
  *Compare the sundial time with a clock throughout the day to calculate solar time differences.  
  *Mark additional half-hour or quarter-hour lines for more accuracy.



====Safety Precautions====
  *Use scissors safely when cutting cardboard.  
  *Avoid looking directly at the Sun while aligning your sundial.  
  *Set up in a stable outdoor area free from wind or tripping hazards.  
  *If used long-term outdoors, protect with waterproof coating or laminate.




====Questions to Consider====
  *Why is latitude important when building a sundial? (The gnomon’s angle must match the location’s latitude so it aligns with Earth’s rotational axis.)  
  *Why does the sundial need to face true south rather than magnetic south? (Magnetic south differs from the Earth’s rotational axis, which affects shadow accuracy.)  
  *How does the Sun’s movement across the sky create the shadow that tells time? (The Sun’s apparent motion due to Earth’s rotation changes the shadow’s direction and length.)  
  *Why might your sundial show a slightly different time from a clock? (Clocks show mean time, while sundials show apparent solar time, affected by the equation of time and longitude differences.)  
  *What can this experiment teach us about Earth’s rotation and the position of the Sun? (It demonstrates how timekeeping and celestial movement are linked through predictable solar motion.)