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How to build and use a simple sundial - Test
Contributed by: Roe
  • 1. What is the gnomon on a sundial?
A) The part that casts the shadow
B) The base of the sundial
C) The hour markings
D) The decorative element
  • 2. What is needed to accurately calibrate a sundial?
A) True North
B) The current temperature
C) Magnetic North
D) The day of the week
  • 3. What is the 'style' of a sundial?
A) The color of the hour markings
B) The overall design
C) The material of the sundial
D) The gnomon's edge that casts the shadow
  • 4. What is the equinox?
A) The shortest day of the year
B) When day and night are equal
C) The longest day of the year
D) When the moon is full
  • 5. What is the declination of the Sun?
A) The distance from the Earth to the Sun.
B) The brightness of the Sun.
C) The speed of the Sun.
D) The angle between the sun and the Earth's equator.
  • 6. What kind of sundial is easiest to build?
A) Analemmatic
B) Vertical
C) Equatorial
D) Horizontal
  • 7. What material is NOT suitable for a sundial's gnomon?
A) Wood
B) Plastic
C) Cardboard
D) Metal
  • 8. What is the purpose of the hour lines on a sundial?
A) To mark the hours of the day
B) To support the gnomon
C) To measure the angle of the sun
D) To decorate the sundial
  • 9. How does latitude affect the sundial design?
A) Has no effect
B) Determines the angle of the gnomon
C) Determines the size of the sundial
D) Determines the color of the sundial
  • 10. What causes daylight saving time?
A) Changing clocks forward in summer.
B) The Earth moving closer to the sun.
C) The sun burning brighter.
D) The Earth stopping its rotation
  • 11. What is the difference between 'apparent solar time' and clock time?
A) Clock batteries
B) The sundial's color
C) Equation of Time variations
D) The size of the sundial
  • 12. What direction should a horizontal sundial face in the Northern Hemisphere?
A) South
B) North
C) West
D) East
  • 13. What is the equation of time?
A) A formula for calculating the length of a day
B) A formula for calculating latitude
C) A formula for calculating sunrise
D) The difference between mean solar time and apparent solar time
  • 14. Why does a sundial's accuracy change throughout the year?
A) Earth's elliptical orbit
B) The sundial's material expands
C) The sun changes color
D) The wind blows it off course
  • 15. What tool can be used to find True North?
A) Smartphone GPS
B) Thermometer
C) Barometer
D) Compass with declination adjustment
  • 16. What is the best time of day to calibrate a sundial?
A) Sunrise
B) Solar noon
C) Sunset
D) Midnight
  • 17. What happens if a sundial is not level?
A) The time reading will be inaccurate
B) The gnomon will fall off
C) Nothing
D) The sundial will break
  • 18. What type of angle determines the length of the gnomon?
A) Azimuth
B) Longitude
C) Declination
D) Latitude
  • 19. How does East/West Longitude affect a sundial's readings?
A) It determines the standard time offset
B) It changes the height of the gnomon
C) It changes the material needed
D) It has no effect
  • 20. What is a diptych sundial?
A) A sundial with two gnomons
B) A sundial for telling time in two locations
C) A folding sundial
D) A sundial made of two materials
  • 21. Which type of sundial is dependent on the observer's position?
A) Vertical
B) Horizontal
C) Analemmatic
D) Equatorial
  • 22. How often does the Equation of Time return to 0?
A) Four times a year
B) Never
C) Every day
D) Once a year
  • 23. What's the best way to protect a sundial made of wood from the elements?
A) Wash it with soap
B) Bury it during winter
C) Apply a sealant
D) Leave it out to dry
  • 24. If a sundial reads 12:00 (Solar Noon), but your clock says 12:30, what is likely the reason?
A) The sundial is broken.
B) You are east of your time zone's central meridian.
C) It is daylight saving time
D) You are west of your time zone's central meridian.
  • 25. On a vertical south-facing sundial, where is noon located?
A) Bottom of the dial.
B) Horizontal line.
C) Top right corner.
D) Vertical line pointing straight up.
  • 26. What effect does the earth's tilt have on sundials?
A) It requires the gnomon to be angled to the latitude.
B) It makes sundials only work in summer.
C) It requires the use of color coding.
D) It has no effect.
  • 27. What does the word 'gnomon' mean?
A) Indicator
B) Sun
C) Shadow
D) Time
  • 28. What is the purpose of a sundial's base?
A) To make the sundial look nice
B) To provide a level surface and stability
C) To enhance the sundial's accuracy
D) To protect the gnomon
  • 29. If a sundial tells the same time for all hours of the day, the sundial is...
A) Broken or incorrectly calibrated.
B) Located at the North Pole.
C) Located on the Equator.
D) Perfectly accurate.
  • 30. In the Southern Hemisphere, which direction should a horizontal sundial face?
A) East
B) North
C) South
D) West
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