Sun Trajectory Lab

Data Recorded for Sun Trajectory Lab- 1/25/14
Time of Day	Length of Shadow (in.)	Height of Pole (in.)	Direction of Shadow	Angle of Sun  (degrees)
7:30 am	22	6.5	West	16.5
9:00 am	6	6.5	Northwest	47
12 noon	0.5	6.5	North	85.5
3:00 pm	7	6.5	Northeast	43
6:00 pm	22	6.5	East	16.5

The purpose of this lab is to determine the trajectory of the sun based on the height of a pole (in this case we used a pencil), the length of its shadow, and the direction the shadow is cast. A pencil was set up on campus and the height was measured. The length of the shadow and its direction were then measured at the times listed in the table above over a 24 hr period. All this data was used to draw the shadow trajectory image above. SunCalc was used as another visual aid to better understand the trajectory of the sun.

Calculating Volume of a 2" Rainstorm Event

The dimensions of the Willet Science Center (WSC) parking lot was found to be 270 ft x 240 ft when measured by foot during lab. The distance measured using Google Earth (see picture below) was found to be 250 ft x 234 ft. The red lines highlight the length and width measurements. These distances are relatively close.

The amount of runoff was calculated using both sets of dimensions:
  
                           Runoff Total
   Dimensions        (gallons)
   By Foot:              82,400
   Google Earth:      74,390


The average swimming pool holds about 10,000 gallons of water. This means the runoff from a two inch storm event on the WSC parking lot could fill approximately 7-8 swimming pools.

It is necessary to perform runoff calculations so that storm water management systems can be designed to support the appropriate volume of water. If the system cannot handle the average rain event sized storm, then the parking lot and/or surrounding areas will flood often.
   

John Muir

John Muir

To this day the preservation of wild life can be attributed to the work of John Muir (1838-1914). He was a very influential American naturalist and conservationist. Muir was the founder of The Sierra Club and has been given the title of Father of National Parks. The Sierra Club posts a quote each day by Muir. Today's: 

"Brought into right relationships with the wilderness, man would see that his appropriation of Earth's resources beyond his personal needs would only bring imbalance and begat ultimate loss and poverty by all."

Background

Muir was born in Scotland and came to Wisconsin in 1849 with his family. He studied botany and geology from the University of Wisconsin. After an accident that left him temporarily blind, he decided to leave the industrial sector. Muir traveled all over the nation by foot and boat, from East Coast to West Coast, from North to South, saturating himself in nature. 

Contributions

Muir played a big role in several milestones of environmental protection:

• Championed protection of Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon
• Convinced Roosevelt to return Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to federal protection
• Public Voice for General Grant and Sequoia National Parks
• Founded the Sierra Club 
• And much more

The Sierra Club has an amazing compilation of John Muir contributions, biographies, tributes, writings, pictures, and more that can be found here.