A Shadow Compass
How to create a shadow compass in the Northern Hemisphere.
Introduction
✨ HOW SHADOWS WORK: Shadows are cast on the opposite side of the light source. So even though the sun rises in the East and sets in the West…for the shadow method, our first marker is going to be West and our second marker is East because we’re working with a shadow. ✨ LOCATION: This example is in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West everywhere so the same concept applies everywhere with just a few minor changes if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. For more info on this, just Google “Shadow Compass Southern Hemisphere”. ✨ ACCURACY: This will give you an approximate direction. It’s not a precision tool. Use your compass if you have it because that’s going to be more exact. However, if you’re in a pinch with no tools and you know you need to go East then this survival trick will get you going in the right general direction. ✨ WHY DOES THIS METHOD WORK: This method works because we know the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. So we can use this to our advantage to determine the approximate location. Obviously, if the sun is rising, you shouldn’t need this method because you know which way is East (same with sunset). But this trick is great for the middle of the day, so you’re not staring at the sun trying to figure out which way it’s moving, because that can be a pain and be dangerous. Source below Tactical Belle Facebook .
Guiding Questions
- What mathematical models apply to this situation?
- What data do you need to collect and how will you analyze it?
- What assumptions are you making in your mathematical model?
- How can you validate your mathematical conclusions?
- What are the limitations of your approach?