Good suggestion Frans! The idea of a "spreadsheet" approach is a good one. It could indeed make a good book or, better yet, a CD. I use this approach myself as a substitute programing language. It gives me readily checked results and offers some graphing capabilities.
However, it requires a computer! The reason to discuss the use of the hand calculator was because many of NASS beginners do not use computers. Indeed, a common complaint when I was the membership chairman for NASS was about the "mathematics" involved in most books or articles. Consequently, I wrote about interpreting equations as "buttons on the calculator". This approach was made by the late Noel C Ta'Bois in a monthly article called "The Sundial Page" in the Clocks magazine in England from 1985 to 1988. (Thanks to Ken Clark for this note.) I have used this approach to try to overcome some of the newcomers' fears. Is there a collection of those CLOCKS magazine articles? Claude Hartman Arroyo Grande, CA "Frans W. Maes" wrote: > Hi Claude, > > Why choosing technology of the previous century? Why not moving one more > step ahead and taking the spreadsheet approach? The ease of making the > necessary serial calculations in one move, and graphing them right away, are > quite an advancement as compared to the pocket calculator. And it might be > the start for a really NEW sundial book... > > Regards, > Frans W. Maes > 53.1N, 6.5E > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Claude Hartman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 6:56 PM > Subject: New Sundial books? > > > Hi dialists! > > > > Does anyone know of a book written for beginning dialists that uses hand > > calculators? > > > > The most widely available books here in the U.S. seems to be those of > > Waugh and of the Mayalls. To use a calculator with Waugh requires > > translating all the logarithm formulas. Mayall puts all the formulas in > > the back of the book. Both books make such an extensive use of plotting > > diagrams that the calculation seems a secondary method. > > > > The excellent book by Rene Rohr also makes use of mathematical > > calculation as a secondary technique. > > > > I am looking for recommendations for the beginner for my "Back to > > Basics" column in the NASS Compendium. > > > > Claude Hartman > > - -
