Pyramid Puzzles LESSON PLAN

Learning
Learning objectives
objectives: PLTS APP
strands 25
strand 1 (HSW)
Astronomy and space Recognise that Team workers: carry AF1 Thinking
science provide insight modern out practical activities scientifically
into the nature and science has its cooperatively AF5 Working critically
observed motions of the roots in many Creative thinkers: with evidence
Sun, Moon, stars, different link learning from
planets, and other societies and different areas of
celestial bodies. cultures. science
Independent
enquirers: science in
a global context

Starter Differentiation Resources

How do the Sun and stars
move? Revise what students
know about the motion of the
Sun and the stars by drawing
the path of the Sun and stars
during the day/night.
Models of the motion of the
Sun/stars Show the Sky
Motion applet or Stellarium.
Advance through one day and
one night to show the stars
moving. In the Sky Motion
applet you can choose to add
trails to get the circles from
time-lapse photography.
Help Teacher and Technician notes
Fill in the motion of
the Sun and use
the applet to show
the motion of the
stars.
http://physics.weber.edu/schroeder/sky/S
kyMotionApplet.html
http://www.stellarium.org/
Activity sheet 1
Activity sheet 2
http://www.londonmuseums.org/english-
landmarks/Greenwich-Meridian.html
http://www.history.com/shows/chasing-
mummies/photos/egyptian-
pyramids/photo6

http://mathisencorollary.blogspot.co.uk/20
11_11_01_archive.html

Main Differentiation Resources

Finding North Students use Help Teacher and Technician Notes

two methods to find North
Demonstrate the Activity sheet 3
and evaluate their accuracy
finding-North
using a compass. Practical sheet
methods and students
make sundials and http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/SEH/sundialn.pdf
clepsydra.
Extension
Students work out
how the watch
method works.

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 Pyramid Puzzles LESSON PLAN

Plenary Differentiation Resources

Finding North Discuss results and Discuss the http://www.markthompsonastronom

which produces the best activities. y.com/practical-astronomy/using-
measurement, and why. equipment/polar-alignment/
Students
Finding North by the stars consider how http://mydarksky.org/2008/10/14/th
demonstrate how to find Polaris using they could e-earths-wobble-precession/
Ursa Major make their
http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslakse
measurements
Discuss the precession of the Earths n/gem-projects/hm/0102-1-
more accurate
axis so the pole star was different pyramids/page1002.htm
thousands of years ago.
Activity sheet 4
Alternatively use Activity sheet 4.

Homework

Students can complete the project on pyramid alignment here: http://www.science-

projects.com/Pyramid.htm

Make a model that shows the precession of the Earths axis.

Learning outcomes

Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7

Identify Use scientific Use abstract Use abstract Show explicit
similarities and ideas to ideas or models ideas or connections
differences in describe the to describe the models to between
the motion of motion of stars motion of stars explain the abstract ideas
stars, planets, and the Sun. and the Sun. motion of and the
and the Sun. stars and observations of
Use appropriate Use appropriate
the Sun. stars and the
Select equipment to methods to
Sun.
appropriate make a water reduce the Consider the
equipment to clock or take uncertainty in suitability of Justify choice of
make a water measurements measurements the chosen method used to
clock or take to find North, of time or methods find precise
measurements repeating direction. find North. measurement of
to find North. measurements North.
if required.

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 Pyramid Puzzles TEACHER AND TECHNICIAN NOTES

Pyramid Puzzles

How did the Egyptians find North?

In learning about space students learn how the apparent motion of the stars and the Sun can be
explained by the motion of the Earth. This activity is designed to consolidate that understanding
by complementing other activities based on the spinning Earth and the motion of the Earth
around the Sun. It gives a practical context for using that motion and extends their knowledge by
considering the precession of the axis of the Earth.

Students investigate how Egyptians built the pyramids so that they were aligned precisely
North/South. They use two methods that dont involve using a compass and compare them.
Alternatively they take part in a challenge to use a water clock to measure a time interval.

Equipment required per group:

Starter
Activity sheet 1
Activity sheet 2

Main
Activity sheet 3

Practical
o Practical sheet One per student
o meter stick
o stand, base, and clamp
o plumb line (mass on a string)
o two 100 g masses
o piece of string approximately 1 m long
o watch with hands
o compass
o protractor/angle measurer
Health and Safety notes:
Students must use water sensibly.
Do not look at the Sun.

Starter
1 How do the Sun and stars move? Students complete the diagrams showing how
the Sun moves in the sky on Activity sheet 1.
Answers:
1. Hemispherical arc arrow with from left to right.
2. End of path on the left labelled East, and on the right labelled West.
3. The Earth spins on its axis so that it appears that the Sun moves, but we do.
4. South
5. A bright sky with no Sun.

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 Pyramid Puzzles TEACHER AND TECHNICIAN NOTES

Students complete Activity sheet 2.

Answers:
1. Same diagram as above.
2. Same as above.
3. A circular path centred on Polaris.
4. The Earth spins on its axis!
2 Models of the motion of the Sun/stars For this activity you will need access to the
Internet to view the Sky Motion Applet,
http://physics.weber.edu/schroeder/sky/SkyMotionApplet.html or you will need to have
Stellarium installed http://www.stellarium.org/ (both are free). Using the Sky Motion Applet
show how the sky looks during the day and night from anywhere on Earth.

3 London and the Pyramids whats the connection? Show photographs of the
London Meridian Line and the diagram of the Earth showing that the Greenwich
Meridian separates East and West in the same way that the Equator separates
North and South.
http://www.londonmuseums.org/english-landmarks/Greenwich-Meridian.html
Show photographs of the pyramids such as this one:
http://www.history.com/shows/chasing-mummies/photos/egyptian-
pyramids/photo6
The connection is that both are aligned North/South. The line at Greenwich deviates
from true North by 9/60th of a degree, but the Great Pyramid at Gizas alignment
deviates by only 3/60th of a degree. It was important to the Egyptians that the tombs
were aligned correctly so that the Pharaoh could journey into the next life.

Main
1 Students use Activity sheet 3 to work out which way is North using two low-
tech methods. There are references to the Shadow of Ra in translated texts, which
indicates that the Egyptians may have used the shadow method to find North.
Answers:
1. An arc joining dots gets close to the pole then further away. Symmetrical about
centre line.
2. Star setting on the left and star rising on the right.
3. The star method repeat readings, and the shadow method has a flat region
around North.
Practical: students carry out an experiment using Practical sheet 1.

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 Pyramid Puzzles TEACHER AND TECHNICIAN NOTES

Plenary
Analysing results In the practical activity bring out the difference between
precision and accuracy.
2 Finding North by the stars
Show how to find Polaris using Ursa Mayor:
http://www.markthompsonastronomy.com/practical-astronomy/using-
equipment/polar-alignment/
The only problem is that this was not the pole star 5000 years ago. The
Earths axis spins like a top with a period of about 26,000 years.
http://mydarksky.org/2008/10/14/the-earths-wobble-precession/ This
means that there was a different pole star Thuban.
Discuss how we know this you can detect the movement over a few
centuries. There is evidence that the Egyptians used to move their buildings
to that they continued to point North/South. An Egyptologist (Kate Spence)
put forward a new theory here: http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/gem-
projects/hm/0102-1-pyramids/page1002.htm.
Alternatively use Activity sheet 4.
Answers:
1. It is the star that the pole/axis of the Earth points towards.
2. They would not be aligned North/South
3. If the direction of North as found by the stars kept moving you would
need to keep moving buildings to keep them in line.
4. Yes, if some buildings needed to change direction. They probably used
the latest methods for buildings like pyramids because they were so
important.
5. No. It is not possible to prove how the Egyptians did make their
calculations of North. More evidence is needed.

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 Pyramid Puzzles FINDING NORTH HELP SHEET

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 Pyramid Puzzles ACTIVITY SHEET 1

How does the Sun move?

The Sun moves across the sky during the day.

1. Draw the path of the Sun on the diagram above. Add an arrow to show the
direction that it moves.
2. Label East and West.
3. Explain why you have drawn the path that you have drawn.

________________________________________________________________________

4. In which direction are you looking, North or South?

________________________________________________________________________

5. What would you see if you looked in the other direction?

________________________________________________________________________

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 Pyramid Puzzles ACTIVITY SHEET 2

How do the stars move?

1. How do the stars move during the night? Draw the path of a star on the diagram
below as you look South, including an arrow showing the direction. Label East and
West.

2. Explain why you have drawn the path that you have drawn.

__________________________________________________________________________

3. Pick one of the stars in the constellations of Ursa Major or Cassiopeia and draw what
happens to it during the night if you are looking North towards the Pole Star, Polaris.

4. Explain why you have drawn the path that you have drawn.

__________________________________________________________________________

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 Pyramid Puzzles ACTIVITY SHEET 3

How did the Egyptians make such accurate measurements of North?

1. The Egyptians watched the shadow made by a stick all day. In the diagram below draw dots
to show what happens to the shadow throughout the day.

The Egyptians also used an instrument called a merkhet, or sighting rod, to find the
position of stars as they rose and set. A person would use the sighting rod to find the
position on the horizon where the star was rising. A second person would put a mark
on the wall of a mudbrick circle using a plumbline or merkhet. They repeated this when
the star set.

2. Label the small black dots with star rising and star setting.
3. Which method would produce the most accurate measurement of North? Explain
your answer.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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 Pyramid Puzzles ACTIVITY SHEET 4

Did the Egyptians use the stars to find North?

1. You can find North using the stars.

Polaris is known as the Pole Star. Why is it called the pole star?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. This is a diagram of the sky at the time of the Egyptians.

If the Egyptians had used the pole star as a way to find North, what would you find if you
visited the pyramids today?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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 Pyramid Puzzles ACTIVITY SHEET 4

3. The pyramids are all aligned in a NorthSouth direction. There is also evidence that
the Egyptians have rebuilt some buildings so that they are still in line. The
pyramids, and Tutankhamuns tomb, are all aligned correctly NorthSouth.

Do you think the Egyptians used the stars to find North? Explain your answer.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

4. An Egyptologist called Kate Spence came up with a new theory in 2000. She used
computer models to work out what the sky looked like at the time of the Egyptians.

She found that there were two stars aligned very close to the direction of North.

Does this prove that the Egyptians did, in fact, use the stars? Explain your answer.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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 Pyramid puzzles PRACTICAL SHEET

Finding north

The pyramids in Egypt were built so that they were on a line that was aligned
North/South. How did they find North? If you want to find North you can use a compass
or the GPS in your car or on your phone. How do you find North without a compass or
GPS?

You are going to find North using two methods and assess each method.

Safety

Do not look directly at the Sun at any time.

Equipment

Per group:

metre stick
stand, base, and clamp
plumb line (mass on a string)
two 100 g masses
piece of string approximately 1 m long
watch with hands
compass
protractor/angle measurer

Activity 1

1 Use the stand, base, and clamp to clamp your metre stick. Use the plumb line to
make sure that it is completely vertical.
2 Take the stand and ruler outside. Put it on the ground and put one of the 100 g
masses on the end of the shadow.
3 Carry out Activity 2.
4 When you have finished (after 15 minutes or so) put the second 100 g mass on
the tip of the shadow.
5 Use the string to make a line between the two masses. Put the Finding North Help
sheet under the string so that the string is over the horizontal line. Leave the
sheet where it is and remove the string. Put the compass in the circle and use the
protractor to measure the angle between the compass North and your North.
Record the difference in the table below.

Activity 2

1 Find North using a watch. Take off the watch and put it on top of the circle in the
Finding North Help Sheet.
2 DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Point the hour hand at the Sun. You can
safely do this by holding a pencil to make a shadow and lining up the hour hand
of your watch with the shadow.

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 Pyramid puzzles PRACTICAL SHEET

3 Find the direction halfway between the hour hand and 12 oclock. This line is
running North/south. Find North using the diagram above.
4 Hold the watch still and rotate the sheet underneath it until the your North arrow
is pointing towards North.
5 Remove the watch. Put the compass in the circle and use the protractor to
measure the angle between the compass North and your North. Record the
difference in the table below.

Results

Method Difference between our North and compass North (o)

Shadow

Watch

Questions

1. Why did the shadow move? Explain why the tip of the shadow changed in the way
that it did.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

2. Which method gave the most accurate reading of north as measured with a
compass? How do you know?
________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Extension

Find out how the watch method of finding North works.

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