In a series of measurements over the course of the semester, determine (a) the clock time and (b) the magnetic compass bearing of sunset. Full details in Fabian, Ex 2.2, “Marking Sunrise and Sunset,” pp 34-35.
Post your fieldwork measurements via this Google Form. Each entry should include a photograph of the sun against the horizon, the date of measurement, your physical latitude and longitude, and the two data points listed above.
Final Report
Use the Marking Sunset data (linked below) to reach an empirically driven conclusion about the timing and location of sunset in the fall of 2021. If you’re not sure what to focus on, think back to our earliest classes: “how did the time of sunset change?” is a good default research question, but it’s far from being the only one you might answer. It’s generally best to focus on how two variables relate to one another: date and time, date and compass bearing, time and latitude, etc., but you can give a more complex analysis if you’re feeling ambitious.
Note that this is a messy data set: in addition to possible measurement errors and typos during data entry, students took measurements in different locations (both latitude and longitude), and some had “true north” turned on while others had it off and still others “weren’t sure.” This means you’ll likely need to exclude some data or normalize the data set in the process of your analysis.
Your writeup should contain the following sections (aim for brevity, clarity, and specificity):
- Goal: what phenomenon did you explore through analysis of this data set? What findings did you expect?
- Procedure: what methods did you use in analyzing the data? If you excluded some data or normalized the data set, on what basis did you do so?
- Results: your findings, including at least one visual representation of the data (i.e. a graph)
- Conclusion: how did your findings differ from expectations? What does this suggest?
The Marking Sunset data is posted here. This link should give you view-only access. Please don’t ask me for edit access. Instead, go to the File menu visible within Google Sheets and either (1) make a copy so you can work with the data directly in Google Docs or (2) download to your laptop as an Excel file.
Email your results as a .pdf to Prof Henebry.