MVHS believes that there is great educational value in the collaborative analysis of data associated with the periodic changes in the position of the Sun at various locations around the globe. Measurements of shadow tip position and shadow length at different times of the year, different times of the day, and at different latitudes provide valuable information about the position of the sun in the sky. Longitude may also be a factor since the sun is at a slightly different position at a given clock time in the same time zone. Topics might appeal to different classes based on individual interests, abilities, and logistics. We have organized related topics together and assigned each one a code.
Collaborative projects rely on sharing data among schools.
In addition to experimental data collection, data can be gathered through the library and Internet. Certainly this does not detract from the scientific value of the analytic process. We also hope that the range of topics allows teachers to participate based on their schedule and the logistics of network and computer use at their school. One school might collect data that will be analyzed by a partner school. Classroom time can be saved if students collect data over lunch or during the weekend.