Candle Clocks

It's About Time September 26 - December 12, 2001 Hillside High School, Durham, NC A Student Research Program Funded by the

Sand Clocks

How do astronomers measure time? Who sets the standard for time? How did early sailors and ancient civilizations determine time? Are there limits on the accuracy of a stopwatch? Is time travel really possible? These are a few questions you may choose to explore in this ten-week program.

Some of the most interesting advances in technology came about through investigations into measuring time. You will explore how time is measured through laboratory measurements and meet with guest scientists. You will learn how to use computer simulation programs, computer probes, and to search for data on the web. The goal is to learn about the science and mathematics of time and how it is measured. The program will begin with structured investigations, leading to the students developing their own research projects. The participants will report their projects in formal presentations.

Learning Activities

Making a Clock - your mission is to construct a simple clock that will measure 60 seconds.

Physical Clocks - construct and measure of time with a variety of physical clocks.

Clock Reaction - see how temperature and concentration affect this chemical clock.

Universal Sundial - make a sundial that can be used at any latitude or longitude.

Biological Clocks - use a green algae (chlamadymonous) to study photoaxis.

Student Projects (presented 12/12/01 at Hillside High School, Durham, NC)

The Mystery of Telling Time Through Sundials
Lights Out
Sundials
Don't Blink
Chemical Clocks
Circuits for Time
Frequency
What Times Time?
Creepy Crawlers
Photos from Student Presentations at Hillside High School

Links

Photos from the 'It's About Time' sessions at Hillside High School

Dr. William Philips and the Nobel Prize - Dr. Phillips visited Hillside High School on October 8th to talk about his work on laser cooling and atomic clocks that won him the Nobel Prize in Physics is 1997. See photos of his talk at the link above.

NOVA Online - Time Travel In the program, leading physicists delve into the mystery of whether time travel is possible, and if so, how one might go about building a time machine. Broadcast September 4, 2001

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Time and Frequency section Be sure to check out the Exhibits

Time - an online exhibit from the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago

Quotes about Time - a collection of sayings and quotations