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THE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN BOOK O F PROJECTS FOR N E W YORK I960 SIMON AND SCHUSTER -%^ l mE AMATEUR SCIENTIST Experiments and constructions, challenges and diversions in the fields of Astronomy, Archaeology, Biology, Natural Sciences, Earth Sciences, Mathematical Machines, Aerodynamics, Optics, Heat and Electronics. Selected from Mr. Stong's clearing house of amateur activities, appearing monthly in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, and expanded with additional information, instructions, notes, bibliographies — and postscripts, from readers. BY C. L. S T O N G INTRODUCTION ILLUSTRATED BY V A N N E V A R BY ROGER BUSH HAYWARD ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INCLUDING THE RIGHT OF REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN ANY FORM COPYRIGHT © I 9 6 0 BY C. L. STONG PUBLISHED BY SIMON AND SCHUSTER, INC. ROCKEFELLER CENTER, 6 3 0 F I F T H AVENUE NEW YORK 2 0 , N. Y. FIRST PRINTING Material previously published in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN is copyright © 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 by Scientific American, Inc. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 6044286 MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRINTED BY THE MURRAY PRINTING COMPANY, FORGE VILLAGE, MASS. BOUND BY H. W O L F F , NEW YORK TO MIL CONTENTS INTRODUCTION BY VANNEVAR B U S H XVII ". . . the motivation of the scientist, professional or amateur, is the sheer joy of knowing." PREFACE BY C. L. STONG XXI ". . . the fact that an experiment delivers an unexpected answer means simply that you have not asked the question you assume you have asked" I. ASTRONOMY 1. ASTRONOMICAL DIVERSIONS 3 A note about the delights of stargazing and some fascinating instruments devised to overcome the limitations of the human eye. 2 . A SIMPLE T E L E S C O P E FOR B E G I N N E R S 5 For about $25 the amateur can construct a telescope more powerful than Galileo's. 3 . A TRANSISTORIZED DRIVE FOR T E L E S C O P E S 18 Telescopes must be turned slowly to follow the stars across the sky. Here is a way of turning one automatically by means of a motor deriving its power from transistors. A. AN ELECTRONIC STAR-TWINKLE SUPPRESSOR 26 How to build an apparatus for making exceptionally clear photographs of the planets. VII 5. AN ASTROPHYSICAL LABORATORY IN YOUR BACK YARD 38 With the addition of a spectrograph the telescope becomes a tool of immense power for probing, the mysteries of the universe. 6. USING SHADOWED STARLIGHT AS A YARDSTICK 53 How to use -fleeting star shadows cast by the moon for locating with great precision geographical points on earth, 7 A UNIVERSAL SUNDIAL 62 By mounting a globe of the earth this way you can convert it into a universal sundial that yields a wealth of information about the earth's relative motion in the solar system. It gives you the hour of the day in distant lands, 8. A SUNDIAL THAT KEEPS CLOCK TIME 73 Some attractions of the sundial frequently overlooked by laymen. Instructions for constructing a sundial which can be adjusted to keep clock time (including daylight saving) anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. 9. THE MOON IN "3-D" 80 With the aid of a mirror, and your own nose as a measuring rod, the photographs in this chapter will give you a "3-D" view of the moon. Notes on how the pictures were taken. II. ARCHAEOLOGY 1. SHOULD THE AMATEUR DIG? The amateur's role in archaeology. How the hobby of surveying ancient ruins and arti- 85 CONTENTS fac