Olga Shateeva
We tell time by the clock. Everyone knows that watch is a device for measuring time. First watch that were invented by man - solar, and it was just a stick stuck in the ground, and their main principle of operation was the shadow of the arrow. IN solar The clock contains the knowledge and observations of our ancient ancestors.
Construction DIY sundial - a most exciting activity, and for children it is also educational, this is an excellent educational tool for children to study time and motion sun.
Model sundial, which we made is the most effective one.
Oh, they're not difficult to make.
During production solar watches you need to know some points and features of their design.
Sundial consist of an arrow pointer, (this arrow is called a gnomon) and dial sundial. Time by sunny The clock is determined by the shadow cast by the gnomon on the dial. Clock face solar hours is divided into 24 hours, and not into 12 hours, as in ordinary mechanical watch. Sundial They work in the midst of summer only in clear or partly cloudy weather during daylight hours.
There are several types sundial.
We made the simplest horizontal ones, practically without making any calculations.
We needed materials ly:
3. Crushed stone
4. Rake handle
5. Several pieces of granite-marble facade tiles
6. Tile adhesive
7. Natural stone
8. Paint "Pinotex"
9. Spray can of gold paint
10. Ship varnish
11. A piece of linoleum for numbers
12. Glue "Moment"
First, we chose a well-lit area, if possible, so that watch there was no shadow from trees or any other structures.
Then they dug a small pit in the ground for the foundation of the future clock.
The bottom of the pit was covered with sand and leveled.
We marked the center and installed the gnomon. We used a rake handle as a gnomon, cutting its length a little. The sand was poured with water from a watering can on top to make it denser.
Then the crushed stone was spread evenly.
At the next stage of watch making, the pit was poured cement mortar. We made a screed.
When the screed froze, they laid granite - marble tiles with special tile adhesive. Since we didn’t have a specialist for cutting tiles, we laid out the tiles in squares. Gnomon painted "Pinotex"
A day later, the site for the dial was ready. Using a pencil and ruler, measuring equal segments from the center to the edge, draw a circle on the tile. Then, applying tile adhesive along the contour of the circle, they laid out crushed stone in two rows, like a mosaic.
IN solar every other day full hour, approached the clock and made notes on the tiles and on the ground in the place where the shadow of the gnomon pointed.
Natural stone was used to decorate the dial.
For greater reliability, the stone was placed on cement mortar.
Before putting divisions and numbers on the dial, we decided to make the clock is bright and beautiful. They leveled the area around the clock and sprinkled it with sand. The crushed stone was spray painted with gold paint, and the gnomon was decorated with stripes using the same gold paint.
The stones and gnomon were covered with ship's varnish. They became bright and shiny.
Numbers and stripes were cut out of linoleum. And in accordance with the applied markings, they were glued to the dial with glue "Moment".
This is what our finished ones look like sundial . And they show the present time!
Ah, now my children and I learn by walking sundial, isn’t it time for us to go to kindergarten?
If you are a fan of amazing things, you know how to grow a crystal from salt, give a second life to old things and create all kinds of crafts, try making a sundial with your own hands, give it individual design and set in the desired direction. Now you can safely show off to your friends - no one else has such a thing!
Sundials became one of the first instruments for calculating time, when a person learned to navigate by the shadows of objects on a sunny day. The construction of such a chronometer requires certain astronomical and physical knowledge. Try to create a sundial with your own hands together with your daughter or son - you will find the process not only exciting, but also educational for your children.
There are several types of sundials. All of them consist of 2 main parts: the frame, or dial, and the gnomon - the arrow. The difference in hours appears at different angles of installation of the frame.
After reading the classification, you will understand that not all types can be made with your own hands.
This watch got its name thanks to the installation lines of the parts. As a rule, the frame is placed at an angle of the latitude in which the device is located. It turns out that the frame plane is parallel to the earth’s equator, and the gnomon line is parallel earth's axis.
The disadvantages of this type of watch are that they show right time only during certain seasons. In the northern hemisphere this is the period from the spring to autumn equinox, in the southern hemisphere it is the other way around.
This type is installed parallel to a flat horizon line in such a way that when the dial and gnomon lines intersect, a line parallel to the noon line is obtained.
IN in this case The gnomon is installed in the same way as on the equatorial clock - at an angle equal to geographic latitude location.
It is more difficult to make such a sundial with your own hands than the first 2 types. When installing a vertical time teller, the gnomon is positioned parallel to the horizon strictly in the direction of geographic south for the northern hemisphere.
Hour divisions can be placed symmetrically on the frame only if in such a position the gnomon is strictly perpendicular to the dial.
There are also lesser known varieties of sundials: polar, cone-shaped, cylindrical and spherical. Because of appearance they often have a decorative meaning rather than a practical one, and are used to decorate the place in which they were installed. For example, ball chronometers often complement the design of children's bedrooms - they do not have sharp corners, and therefore the devices are safe for children.
Try making your own sundial with your child. This lesson will help you explain to your child in detail how to tell the time using such clocks, why they are designed this way, and how one type differs from another.
First of all, try to design an equatorial sundial with your own hands - the simplest one to make.
You don't need to calculate the number of hour divisions on the dial and the degree measure of each of them - you can find many frame templates on the Internet.
Using the data obtained, draw a layout of the device on a sheet of paper with your own hands. required size, cut and glue. In this case, any stick of the required diameter can serve as a gnomon. Simply make a hole in the desired location and position the gnomon perpendicular to the dial.
Place the sundial on the windowsill so that the gnomon points directly north. You can calculate the direction using a compass.
It is even easier to create a horizontal sundial with your own hands than an equatorial one. Choose a hard material so that it will be easy to draw the dial later: plastic, cardboard or thin wood.
Take the watch. Every hour, mark the position of the shadow of the frame on the dial. After you have marked all 12 points, draw the dial with your own hands.
Once you've learned how to make a DIY tabletop sundial, try making a pocket sundial. The following video tutorial will help you with this.
Horizontal clocks can be increased in size, decorated and used as decorative element your flowerbed or garden. For example, you can sculpt the gnomon and each number on the dial with your own hands and paint it to match the flowers growing around you. Or you can make a device based on a wooden cut - then the best decoration There will be burning of figured numbers on wood.
Take it for yourself and tell your friends!
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The sundial is one of the most ancient devices created by man. Several hundred years later, this invention has not lost its functionality.
You can do it with your children at home, on the street, in the school yard. The sundial will become beautiful. In addition, knowledge of their manufacturing technology will be useful for those who like to travel.
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The first mention of a sundial was found in the area Ancient Egypt. Another 1300 BC people used such watches. They were also used in China and Greece. From there, sundial technology spread throughout the world.
They gained great popularity in the 18th century - at that time they were used as a decorative element in landscape gardens and palace ensembles.
Clock operation based on the relationship of elements: the base (cadran), dial and gnomon.
The base can be installed at different angles, in connection with this they distinguish different kinds hours.
The gnomon is an element that casts a shadow on the dial; it is a kind of similarity to the hand of an ordinary watch.
Highlight three main types of sundials:
1. Equatorial clock. Their base is located parallel to the equator. A gnomon is a rod located parallel to the earth's axis. For their correct installation you need to know the latitude of the location.
2.Vertical clock. The frame plane is located vertically, usually on the wall of a building.
3. Horizontal clock. The base is located parallel to the horizon line. The gnomon is created in the form of a triangle, with an angle corresponding to the latitude of the location.
The base of the watch is located parallel to the equator. The sun moves evenly, so in an hour the shadow will shift by 15. Note that this dial should have not 12 divisions, but 24. Thus, to make a dial, it is enough to divide the base into 24 sectors of 15 each.
If the clock is supposed to be placed in a garden or any other open area, then it is advisable to use durable materials for manufacturing.
As a basis Stone, iron, wood, plastic are suitable.
Gomon can be made from a long nail or knitting needles.
Next step - correctly determine the angle of the dial. It is defined as the difference between 90 and the geographic latitude of the location.
It is necessary to install the frame with the dial in a lighted place, attach the gnomon - and the clock is ready.
A regular sundial works correctly if noon occurs at 12:00 as intended.
Noon occurs at different times in different areas, so it is important to take this factor into account. For the clock to show local time, necessary move the numbers on the dial around its axis, so that the shortest midday shadow moves in the north-south direction.
How to find out this direction? You need to take a sheet of plywood, attach a nail to it at a right angle and place the sheet in the sun. Next, you need to note the movement of the shadow of the nail every 15 minutes for 3 hours. Then determine the smallest shadow. It will be the noon line.
An unusual type of sundial. The dial in this case resembles a scale, the divisions are located in the west-east direction. The dial layout itself can be found on the Internet.
The most important - place the frame correctly. It should be located at an angle corresponding to the geographic latitude of the location, in the direction of the polar star.
Note that the simplest sundial shows solar time, which may differ from real time.
It’s good to have a clock at your dacha that can be seen from afar and that can be easily made from available material. They will help you spend your time at the dacha profitably: after all, you can water the plants only before 10 and after 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and being in the sun from 11 to 3 is strictly prohibited due to the active influence of solar radiation.
The sundial was the first device to tell time. They show the exact time for only three days during the entire summer season (spring and autumn equinoxes and summer solstice). On other days the difference can be up to 17 minutes, but for dacha work it's not important. Therefore, you can do without creating an error table or a graph that specifies the time every day and hour.
The sundial shows exact time only on equinoxes and solstices
There are three types of sundials:
Spherical, semicircular and others are varieties of the main types. The principle of all watches is based on the readings of the shadow of an object (gnomon), falling on the divisions of an hour, fifteen, ten or five minutes, pre-marked on the dial (cadran), depending on the wishes of the manufacturer.
For horizontal clocks, the frame is parallel to the horizon line. A gnomon is installed in the center or closer to the south - a vertical object, the shadow of which will indicate the time.
In a horizontal watch, the dial is parallel to the horizon
The shadow from a vertical gnomon at any latitude in Russia will have a different length. In order for the shadow to have equal length, the gnomon is tilted to the angle of latitude of the area, which can be accurately determined using a GPS navigator or on the Internet. For example, Moscow is located at 55th latitude, the angle of inclination is 55° from the horizon. The gnomon tilts only in the north-south direction along the line of the shortest shadow at true noon. True noon is the moment of the highest culmination of the center of the Sun for a given point on the earth's surface.
True noon, as a rule, does not coincide with official time. Therefore, those who have marked the divisions on the frame in advance will simply have to turn the dial by the angle of error. At the same time, the gnomon remains tilted towards true noon.
The noon line points to the geographic pole, not the magnetic pole
At the equatorial clock, the frame tilts towards the geographic north (for Russia) relative to the horizon at an angle of 90 minus the latitude of this area. That is, the dial will be parallel to the equator line. The gnomon is installed perpendicular to the gimbal, that is, parallel to the earth's axis. Corrections for local time are the same as for horizontal clocks.
Equatorial clock readings are visible from afar
The vertical clock is placed on a plane perpendicular to the horizon, and the gnomon is installed at an angle to the frame along the noon line at an angle equal to the difference between 90° and the latitude of the area. The noon line is determined by the line of the shortest shadow from the horizontal gnomon.
On a vertical clock, the numbers are not always symmetrical unless the wall faces strictly geographic south
First, determine the location and purpose of installing the clock:
Once you have decided on the installation location, select the type of clock. Vertical clocks are only suitable for the southern wall, otherwise they will be in the shadow themselves. Horizontal ones are good for open spaces, while equatorial ones will look better on platforms or recreation areas.
The simplest and most cost-effective way to make a sundial is with a pole and stones. Instead of a pole, a piece of reinforcement, a long snag or rod, a piece of plastic or iron pipe, even a tall bottle, for example, a champagne bottle. We take the following actions:
After just a few days, such a horizontal clock will deviate by a minute, but it will show true noon (even if it falls at one o’clock in the afternoon).
By planting grass or low flowers around the clock, we get an elegant flowerbed. A paved courtyard easily turns into a sundial. Laying out a sundial with small colored materials will keep your children occupied for a long time. Indoor flowers for the summer can become part of a sundial, indicating a particular hour. It’s easy to make a clock from a wide round flowerpot. , installing a pole in the center and noting the clock readings. An equatorial clock installed in the corner of the site is clearly visible from all its ends.
Whether you tilt the gnomon to get the same shadow or not is up to you. You can tilt the dial itself, that is, set the equatorial hours. You don’t have to go to such a clock to find out what time it is, which saves both the time and effort of the summer resident.
Equatorial watch manufacturing process:
Granite clocks will last for many years. A globe clock will be more difficult to make, but nothing is impossible. A themed sundial will decorate any flowerbed.
A sundial made by yourself will make your dacha unique and will help you better plan necessary activities and recreation on the site.
IN modern world sundials look, at least, exotic, and in most cases they are a banal decoration - a decoration for a dacha or a plot of a residential building. But we should not forget that in ancient times it was a very useful and functional thing, the accuracy of which even some modern products of this type may well envy. If the sundial is made correctly, it may well compete with yours. wristwatch. You can make them three different ways, which is what we will talk about in this article. Together with the site, we will get acquainted with the question of how to make a sundial with your own hands - we will talk about three varieties of these items and their correct manufacture.
This is a very simple sundial to make - this is due to the fact that the divisions of its dial are the same and amount to 15 degrees, which corresponds to one hour. In principle, this is where everything simple in this watch ends and the difficulties begin - a watch of this type must be installed correctly, which in itself is difficult. Such a clock must be installed simultaneously in two planes.
As for the actual production of equatorial sundials, everything is very simple. It is better to use a hard material like plastic for them. First you make a dial with a gnomon, then you think about how you can install it at an angle, but also orient it to the north, after which the clock will work. By the way, the angle of inclination of the gnomon can be easily adjusted with a protractor and rulers - the drawing tool has a special lock that allows you to set the desired angle between a pair of rulers. By the way, for our hemisphere, the clock needs to be directed towards the true north pole, but if you make a clock while in the southern hemisphere, then the gnomon and dial should point towards the true south pole. In this case, the dial will be a little different - it will be a mirror image of a sundial for the northern hemisphere of the Earth.
You can see what a sundial can be like in this video.
A distinctive feature of this type of watch is the horizontal arrangement of the dial - the gnomon is oriented exclusively towards the true pole of the Earth. On the one hand this is good ( simpler technology manufacturing), but on the other hand, not very well, since setting the clock looks very problematic. In such watches, the shadow from the gnomon does not move the same distance over the course of an hour, so you need to be patient and wristwatch. The divisions will have to be applied in accordance with a mechanical or electronic chronometer. Such watches are made as follows.
During even hours, we simply place marks where the shadow of the gnomon points.
Once the dial markings are completed, the watch can be used fully. In principle, they can be used immediately after installation, only without divisions you can determine the time exclusively intuitively.
The beauty of this solar chronometer lies in its dial - it is not round, like most illogical devices, but linear. The shadow from the gnomon moves along it in a straight line, which greatly simplifies the technology of making sundials. By and large, this is the same equatorial sundial, only its gnomon is not a pin, but a stick located across the so-called dial. The divisions in such watches are also applied unevenly, which makes it possible to assert that a sundial of this type is some kind of hybrid between the first two options. Do-it-yourself polar sundials are made as follows.
In principle, there is a fourth option for sundials, which are very difficult to manufacture and configure - these are vertical, or, as they are also called, wall sundials. They are more convenient to use, but their assembly requires a lot of accurate calculations and very jewelry (no less precise) manufacturing.
DIY sundial photo
To conclude the topic of how to make a sundial with your own hands, I will say a few words about the materials. Their choice depends entirely on the purposes of production. If this is pampering or just Toolkit for children, the chronometer can be made from cardboard. If you want to make a truly working model and use it to determine the time, then you need to choose more reliable materials. In this case, the dial can be made of concrete (alternatively, cut off the surface of natural stone big size), and the gnomon is made of steel - such a watch can be safely left on fresh air, and at the same time they will last a very long time.
