Can anyone help me understand how a sundial works?

Question

Can anyone help me understand how a sundial works?

Answer 1

this should explain everything you want to know. http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/nof/s...

Answer 2

Sundials rely on the fact that, as the earth turns, the sun seems to travel across the sky. Any object standing in the sun casts a shadow. On a stationary object, this shadow will move "clockwise" (in the northern hemisphere). This means that the relative times of the day can be marked around the stationary object, and during daylight hours an approximation of the actual time can be made.

Answer 3

The Earth takes 24 hours to rotate. The Sun always rises in the East and sets in the West. If a tall object like the center of a sundile is facing North then the rising Sun makes a shadow on a number. As the Earth rotates, the shadow moves (at the speed of Earth's rotation) thus keeping the time.

Answer 4

You need to know the latitude, where you are going to put it. The angle of the sun dial pole, need to match the latitude, to be more accurate. Then aim it North.

Answer 5

The Position of the Sun Casts a Shadow on whatever time it is.Try looking it up on Wikipedia.com