Hello Old Timers: I've got another knit-picky question for you all to ponder. But you're a rather knit-picky group, so I don't think you'll mind.
In proofreading the new fifth edition of my "Sundial Owner's Manual", when discussing sundials, I think that I mistakenly used the words, "precise" and "accurate", interchangeably, as if they meant the same thing. Is it possible to have an accurate sundial that is not precise? (I think so) Is it possible to have a precise sundial that is not accurate? (I think not) Should the word "precise' refer to sundials that have small time divisions; ie. large sundials? (One definition of "precise" in my dictionary says "minutely exact"). Using this definition, only large sundials with small time divisions can be precise. A ring sundial can never be precise. Size is everything! The word "accurate" is defined by my dictionary as "free from error". This suggests that an accurate sundial is properly designed and constructed. Does'nt it? There is a very large public vertical wall dial here in Tucson that appears to have been correctly designed and constructed but it has no hour lines at all, only numerals. It's anyone's guess what the precise time is. This would be an example of an accurate sundial that is not precise. On the other hand, a heliochronometer would HAVE to be precise and accurate because it is well-made and has small (1 min?) time divisions. Right? Do you think my train of thought is correct? John Carmichael Tucson tel: 520-696-1709 website: http://www.azstarnet.com/~pappas
