The Story of Time
Written By: Mr. Budd
Many many years ago there was a boy named Theodus who lived in Ancient Greece. Theodus was fascinated with the sun.
During the summertime, Theodus would always be out playing with his friends. His mother would get aggravated when he would return late for dinner.
Theodus began to think, wouldn't it be nice if I could use the sun to tell what time dinner was? He began to notice how at different times during the day his shadow would be cast down on the ground at different lengths.
Theodus began experimenting with building objects that reflected a shadow. He noticed that the shadow would appear the same way each day. At breakfast, lunch, and dinner he would set rocks where the shadow stopped. For a week straight Theodus determined that the shadow stopped at the same points each day.
Theodus built what would later be referred to as a sundial. This device casts a shadow that varies throughout the day. In the early morning it is a long shadow that is cast towards the West. Around lunch time the shadow decreases. At 12 o'clock the shadow will be its shortest or non existent. From lunch time on the shadow will grow again until the sun sets. The difference in the afternoon is that the shadow will be cast back towards the East.
After Theodus created the sundial he was no longer late for dinner.
Since Ancient Greece, telling time has evolved using several different methods. Would using a sundial today work the same way and be accurate?
The End