On Mon, 17 Jun 2002 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Does any one know a method of determining the declination of a wall by
> measuring the lenth of the shadow made by a carpenter's square? I think
> there is such a method, but can't recall where I saw it.
>
> Bill Gottesman
> Burlington, VT
> 44.4674N, 73.2027W
You can certainly get a tangent figure, from the ratio of the leg
perpendicular to the wall to the distance from the "root" to the shadow. I
would then note the exact time I took the reading, and using Dialist's
Companion, determine the Sun's azimuth at that time and your location.
Probably simpler, would be to place a semicircular protractor against the
wall, then hang a plumb bob so it casts a shadow of the string just where
it intersects the protractor's center mark. Read the angle directly at the
perimeter of the protractor. Again, use Dialist's Companion to get the
Sun's azimuth... In either case, make sure the instrument is level, both
along the wall and perpendicularly to it.
=======/====== =====.=====
|| / | / |
|| / \ / /
|| / \/ /
|| / /-_____-
||/ /
*
(I know, the protractor drawing sucks, but you get the idea!)
Dave
37.29N
121.97W
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