Dear Roger,
Although I haven't been subscribing quite as long as you have, your remarks
express my own precisely! Some of the early articles that you cite were
inspirational. Alas, as you so correctly note, the magazine has become more
aimed at a popular audience and brilliant departments such as Mathematical
Games and The Amateur Scientist have disappeared.
best wishes,
Peter
On 4/06/2019 2:23:26, Roger wrote:
Hello Peter and all,
Yes there have been many excellent articles in Scientific American. I have been
a subscriber for over 60 years and a couple of their sundial articles got me
interested in sundials. The first are a couple of articles published in the
late 1950’s in the Amateur Scientist column: “A Universal Sundial” using a
globe by Richard M Sutton and “A Sundial that Keeps Clock Time” by Richard L
Schmoyer. Both were published in a “Book of Projects for the Amateur Scientist”
published in 1960. The Schmoyer sundial is well known to those on this list. It
is currently sold by Bill Gottesman (https://www.precisionsundials.com/).
In December 1980 and May 1981 the Amateur Scientist published articles by Jeral
Walker on “An Easy to Read Sundial”. This described the math and a computer
program to calculate analemmic hour lines. The second article included
corrections to the first and there is still a minor errors. This article taught
me and many others some of the math to design sundials.
Scientific American has had a good run with excellent articles by those doing
the science. Lately they changed their direction and content with less science
and more speculation in an attempt to maintain their readership. I find I am
less interested in their articles.
Regards,
Roger Bailey
Walking Shadow Designs
N 48.6, W 123.4
Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10
From: Peter Mayer<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: June 3, 2019 3:24 AM
To: Sundial List<mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Fwd: Scientific Americal -This Month in the Archives
Hi,
This message just came from Scientific American. The list of articles on
sundials is only a partial one; I think at least twice as many have appeared in
SA over the years.
best wishes,
Peter
-------- Forwarded Message --------
[https://www.scientificamerican.com/themes/responsive/images/newsletter/border_left.gif]
Keeping Track of Time with the Sun
[https://www.scientificamerican.com/themes/responsive/images/newsletter/border_right.gif]
[Clock]Very accurate—for a sun clock. August 1935.
Sundials are one of the oldest scientific tools humans use. Up to a couple of
centuries ago they were the best way to keep track of time.
* December
1925:<http://links.email.scientificamerican.com/ctt?kn=21&ms=NTk0MzIwMjgS1&r=MjIxNzEyNzAxMDMwS0&b=0&j=MTY2MDMzMDY5MAS2&mt=1&rt=0>
The Mayans kept remarkably good track of time using “the largest sundial in
the world.”
* February
1934:<http://links.email.scientificamerican.com/ctt?kn=12&ms=NTk0MzIwMjgS1&r=MjIxNzEyNzAxMDMwS0&b=0&j=MTY2MDMzMDY5MAS2&mt=1&rt=0>
“Sundials and Their Construction”—part 1 of a nine-part series that will tell
you everything there is to know.
* August
1935:<http://links.email.scientificamerican.com/ctt?kn=6&ms=NTk0MzIwMjgS1&r=MjIxNzEyNzAxMDMwS0&b=0&j=MTY2MDMzMDY5MAS2&mt=1&rt=0>
Quibbles about useless decorative garden implements aside, here’s an article
on highly accurate “sun clocks” for garden use.
* August 1991:
<http://links.email.scientificamerican.com/ctt?kn=32&ms=NTk0MzIwMjgS1&r=MjIxNzEyNzAxMDMwS0&b=0&j=MTY2MDMzMDY5MAS2&mt=1&rt=0>
“What in Heaven Is a Digital Sundial?” Our “Mathematical Recreations”
columnist Ian Stewart explains it all.
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