It is in my nature that I get attracted to things like this. When I saw the title of this paper, I can't help but look into it.
Abstract: I describe how to obtain a rather good experimental determination of the
eccentricity of the Earth orbit, as well as the obliquity of the Earth rotation
axis, by measuring, over the course of a year, the elevation of the Sun as a
function of time during a day. With a very simple "instrument" consisting of an
elementary sundial, first-year students can carry out an appealing measurement
programme, learn important concepts in experimental physics, see concrete
applications of kinematics and changes of reference frames, and benefit from a
hands-on introduction to astronomy.
The journal reference is Eur. J. Phys. 33, 1167 (2012).
My first impression was that this is a primitive "sundial", and the use of "similar triangles" concepts to plot the shadow of the nail over the period of a year.
This isn't a bad exercise at all, and in fact, could easily be given not just to "first-year students", but also to high-school physics students.
Zz.
No comments:
Post a Comment
The comments posted to this blog are MODERATED. All comments will require MY APPROVAL to be released, so please do NOT post multiple comments just because you do not see it appearing immediately!
All SPAM will never be approved for release in this blog, no matter how much you try to disguise it. CRACKPOTTERY and attempts at advertising your personal theory and website/blog will be treated in the same manner as unwanted SPAM.