An ancient mathematical tool to measure the daily and annual cycles of the earth around the sun.

Mathematical models: from sundials to number engines - for iPod/iPhone

The sundial as a mathematical model

Since the dawn of civilisation, humans have used everyday materials to create mathematical models of the world around them. This album explores the ancient Greeks' astrolabe as a model of the skies; the sundial, to tell the time; Babylonian clay tablets to record wages and trading of sheep; wooden tallies for bulk-buying beer, the Incas' use of knots and string, and the sophisticated number-engine invented by Charles Babbage. This material forms part of The Open University course MST121 Using mathematics.

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Mathematical models: from sundials to number engines - for iPod/iPhone