If the earth stopped spinning would a shadow clock still work? How do you know?

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This is a question for my 4th grade son, I would appreciate a short and clear answer.

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General Physics RvTDLR 5 years 1 Answer 2212 views 0

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  1. Vstudio
    0
    October 3, 2017 at 4:15 am
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    No.
    I assume that when you say “shadow clock” you are talking about a classic sundial, a stick in the ground, or an obelisk like the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.

    A shadow clock’s shadow changes position depending on where the sun is in it’s daily path across the sky between sunrise and sunset.

    If the earth stopped spinning, then the sun would no longer appear to move across the sky.

    If the earth stopped spinning then the sun would only rise and set once a year. You might change your “clock” to a yearly “calendar,” but it would have to cast a very LONG shadow to have any sort of accuracy.

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