Vocabulary - Sundials printable pdf download

Vocabulary - Sundials

Name

Date

STUDENT RESOURCE 3.1

Vocabulary

INFORMATION SHEET

sundial an instrument that uses

orbit the path that an object in

shadows cast by the Sun to

space takes around a larger object

measure time

Earth moves around the Sun.

Before the invention of clocks,

The path that Earth takes around

people used sundials to tell time.

the Sun is called Earth’s orbit.

A sundial has a pointer that sticks

rotation the spinning of a planet or

up out of a ﬂ at disk. Sundials are

moon on its axis

placed in sunny areas. When the

Earth spins around. The

Sun moves in the sky, the shadow

imaginary line that it spins on is

cast by the pointer also moves. The

called Earth’s axis. The spinning

location of the shadow can be used

movement is called Earth’s

to tell how much time has passed.

rotation. As Earth rotates, different

parts face the Sun. Over 24 hours,

sunlight will have a chance to shine

on every part of Earth. During the

day, Earth’s rotation makes the Sun

appear to move across the sky.

LIGHT • SECTION 3 SUNDIALS

Vocabulary - Sundials