Grindylow
Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: [GMT + 1]
Posts: 14,116
Hogwarts RPG Name: Rose Snakebark Gryffindor Fifth Year Hogwarts RPG Name: JT Forsfelle Slytherin Third Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Ariadne Rose Hufflepuff Third Year Ministry Department Head:
Violet Fawley Ecological Protection x3
| Swedishfish Girl! Madame Librarian! Jess's Soul Sister! Sweetest Swede! SPOILER!!: Students Quote:
Originally Posted by RachieRu "I think it can still be used" Indiana mused with a smile, as she raised her hand. "I mean, if we know how to properly use the sundial, then I believe we can still use them." Muggles obviously just didn't know how to use them properly. Indy smiled at the professor, thinking some more about her answer. "But then in a way, I dont think we should rely on them, because as you have said they aren't as reliable as othe forms of telling the time." Which was pretty obvious. They did have to depend on the sun after all. Imagine if the sun wasn't around? Nobody would be able to tell the time. "So I do think we can still use them at times, but we should also use other forms of time telling as well." “Good Indiana you make some valid points. If we can use the sun dial properly then we can still use it in the modern wizarding world but not only rely on it since it will be useless on a cloudy day. 3 points!” He said to the Ravenclaw. Quote:
Originally Posted by natethegreat Nate raises his hand and says "Professor I think it is still an important wizarding tool." “One can argue that it is still an important wizarding tool your right Nate but how is it important?” Edvard enquired. Quote:
Originally Posted by FireboltAvis88 Alyssa thought for awhile before raising her hand, "Professor, despite the new mechanical devices that muggles and others have come up with to measure time, I believe that sundials can still be used to tell time, because it uses the sun to measure it. The sun will never go away and will never break down like most mechanical devices do. The Sun is the most natural form of telling time, and the sun dial although being considered archaic by modern standards, doesn't have moving gadgets and parts that will break or slow down, and will always give an accurate reading, as long as the sun is in the sky.” “Good reasoning Alyssa. 3 points. A sun dial won’t break down as fast other mechanical clocks which you can buy in the store now because it is made of material that is sustainable.” He said to the Hufflepuff. Quote:
Originally Posted by Magical Soul Use them now? Well.. maybe not? Louisa raised her hand, "I don't think they're used for time nowadays, sir. Maybe they're just decoration? Especially now that there are gold, silver and maybe iron kinds of it?" The girl trailed away before an idea popped up in her head, "What about metal charmers, sir? Maybe they enchant them? Like.. making them tools to indicate other signs. Say like, signs of people's moods." How did that work with the Roman numbers, she had no idea. Oh well, it was just a guess. Maybe a wild one too. Hehe. He nodded “You are correct Louisa nowadays you can find sun dials in pretty much any available material which makes them more prone to roost and breakdown. Metal charms make and charm sun dials they don’t use them in their line of work. 2 points.” Edvard’s mind drifted fleetingly to Althea but only for a moment. Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow "Professor, I think sundials are still important in that they will still be helpful even when technology fails...even if they are heavier to carry around then a little wrist watch." She wasn't trying to be funny. It was true, Ella had to get a new watch battery several times already! “A valid point Ella. The sun dial won’t need to change its battery like a wrist watch. 2 points.” Edvard said to the Hufflepuff. Quote:
Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom Alex raised his hand. "Well, I think they CAN still be used, but with new technology both in the muggle world and our own world, they're pretty much outdated and not really a practical way to tell time anymore," he explained. "Of course, that doesn't mean people can't use them if they want to...it's just a lot easier to use a watch or something else," he added. He personally would never use a sundial but if someone else wanted to...why not? “You bring up a fair point Alexander. A sun dial is pretty impractical and the new technology available to us as well as muggles makes watches a better option than sun dials. 2 points.” Edvard said. Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverDragon Silvia raised her hand. "I think sundials can still be useful. We might not need them to tell time anymore, but they can be a visual tool when teaching about how the field of astronomy developed in the past. And during the day, they may be more accurate than clocks, because clocks can stop working suddenly. They aren't very helpful at night or when it's cloudy, but couldn't you use the position of the stars to tell time at night?" “Good Silvia. I like that you bring up that sun dials can still be used in teaching as to show how telling time has developed over the years. In some cases it can be more accurate than clocks yes but it is limited. Sun dials become more inaccurate without a sun present. You can’t use a star’s position to still tell time at night since stars can give you a position and a sense of north but that doesn’t help with the actual time and hour. 2 points” he said. Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassandra Taylor raised her hand, "Professor, i think that it is still important and useful. It is sometimes better than the other time telling devices since, it will never be slow, if the sun is out and it isnt cloudy, but it is sometimes wrong since there is sometimes no sun so we cant rely on them entirely. “Good point Taylor we can use them but not rely on them as our only source for telling time since a sun dial is not always dependable. 2 points.” Edvard replied. Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixStar Well she was way off, but now that she knew what it was she was ready to get back into action. "I think they are still useful now. It is something that will always work. I also think it is important to not do away with anything just because there are other ways to achieve something." She said with her hand raised. She hoped that she made sense. “A fair point, why throw away something which you know works from experience. 2 points to Slytherin.” He said moving to the next student. Quote:
Originally Posted by Squishy ♥ YAY! Amelia got another three points. Not that she was obsessed with points earning, but it still felt nice to get them. She raised her hand again. "I believe that they can still be useful for telling time if you know how to do it properly. They're sort of outdated, but some people like that kind of thing. Even in the Wizarding world. For one thing, they can't really malfunction or break unless you shatter them of course. They just aren't the most convenient thing to carry around." She looked at the object closely. No, not the most convenient. "Anyway, they are a part of history and have served an important function before other inventions had been made. They'd always be useful." She nodded now. “A fair point, why throw away something which you know works from experience and has been an important function well before the first clock was invented. 2 points to Hufflepuff.” Quote:
Originally Posted by Sneakeh Cat Zayden, who hadn't really been paying attention the last ten minutes or so, raised his hand. "Professor, I don't think muggle phone applications are garden decorations." Yes, he did think a sundial was something to do with a muggle phone. FORGIVEHIM. "But yes, they are very helpful in the wizarding world today because I think if everyone had a muggle phone and... erm, how do I put it? If they used it correctly, it's very helpful in contacting people all across the world and just for pure entertainment; however, I don't know much about this sundial application. Is it new?" Muggle phone APPLICATION????!
Professor Roslund blinked and blinked before he found himself again. “Zayden you must be mixing a sun dial up with something else. A sun dial is used to tell time not as an app-lisomething on a muggle phone. What is an application anyway?” The boy was clearly of muggle heritage. Quote:
Originally Posted by Devina Wellheart Justin listened as the other students were answering the question." Professor, I think that a sundial is more useful as they don't break the way modren timepieces do now. I don't think they sould be forgotten. Besides they come in all sort of sizes. " “A valid point, why throw away something which you know works from experience and has been an important function well before the first clock was invented. 2 points to Hufflepuff.” Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazinga Minerva listened to a few answers and then put up her hand. "Well professor I think they can still be useful, but I think astronomers, wizards, or anyone else using them need to use everything they can. Alyssa mention the sun will never go away, but when using that instrument what happens if it is a cloudy or rainy day? There is no sun to place a shadow. So I feel it can be an accurate and a reliable way to measure time when the sun is around, but we need to have other ways when the sun is not out." she hoped she was making sense with her answer. “Good point Minerva we can use them but not rely on them as our only source for telling time since a sun dial is not always dependable. 2 points to Hufflepuff.” Edvard replied. Quote:
Originally Posted by Kimalia So Kimalia was wrong, no biggie. She would've been surprised if otherwise. Nooow, after jotting down the correct answers that were given, she rose her hand for this one. "Maybe not as the only means, but given its history it's a good use for guidance." Same with any antique, really. "There may be more finer objects and ways of producing the same information, but it's never good to forget where it started from." “A good point Kimalia, why throw away something which you know works from experience and has been an important function well before the first clock was invented. 2 points to Slytherin. Finer objects are usually developed by taking good bits from old inventions and enhancing them in a new model.” Quote:
Originally Posted by Katergirl Raising her hand Angelina said, "Professor I think it still the sundial can be used, it can be more corect than something else. The problem is it can only be used with the sun visable." She kept it somewhat short and simple, she didn't want to get to much in detail. “Good point Angelina we can use them but not rely on them as our only source for telling time since a sun dial is not always dependable like on a cloudy day. 2 points to Hufflepuff.” Edvard replied. Quote:
Originally Posted by Gabrielle Glenn frowned, hmm. How could she answer this question, "I think it's important to remember history of things, maybe one day other technology will stop working but there will always be the sun, well, for millions of years to come anyway. But you'll still have the sun dial to roughly tell the time." Those were her two cents anyway, she couldn't think what it could be used for apart from that, but then again, maybe the Professor would tell them that later. “Remembering the history of objects or historical events in general is important as you say Glenn and sun dials we can continue to use when other mechanical inventions break down or have no battery. 2 points.” Edvard said. Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubbles Kennedy raised his hand to this one. It was more of an opinion than fact. "I don't think it has necessarily been degraded to a mere garden decoration...it's just that with all the new modern inventions it really doesn't possess the use that it did before," he said. "Or, it could also be that the human race prefers the simpler way to learning and use more modern utilities, thus the sun dial not being much of an importance anymore." No offense to anyone, of course. He was one of those humans.
It was like when he was younger. He was really into his Power Ranger toys, but when his mom bought him a bicycle it was like, "later Rangers, hello bike", but it didn't mean that his toys lost their initial value to him. “A good point Kennedy the sun dial doesn’t possess the same use nowadays as it did before when there were no clocks or wrist watches. The sun dial still has some importance but not on the same level as it held in the past. 2 points.” Edvard said. Quote:
Originally Posted by jujune29th Sophie smirked. Raising her hand before she spoke, she began talking happily. "Professor, you wouldn't have these things here if they weren't useful still, would you?" It was a really cool decoration thingy, but Sophie didn't think is was useless now. She stopped to think for a few seconds before she went on. "I think it can still be used in um... making sure if your watch or whatever is right! I mean, it can go all crazy and miss the track of time sometimes, so the sundial should help us know the time to correct it!" Uh... it could do that! Anyway. "But yeah, apart from that, I don't really know what else it can be used for. Maybe something with planets positioning?" Now that was a guess. But then again, it was worth a try. “Sophie, good thinking, the sun dial can possibly be used as something to control your wrist watch against to see if it’s time is correct. 2 points. A sun dial can’t help with a planets position.” He said wondering slightly why some were snowed in on the idea that a sun had something to do with planets. Quote:
Originally Posted by Jessiqua Zhenya had a bit of a think and remembered that some Wizarding homes, schools, buildings etc. didn't work with electricity which the Muggles used. She raised her hand, "Professor, although clocks are definitely more reliable, I think it's definitely a good item to have just in case. Also, it's a good skill to pick up, I guess. I know some Wizarding places don't work well with electricity and therefore it is a good substitution for a clock," she said. “A new angle. Good Zhenya, 2 points but can’t those communities just use clocks that work on batteries? The batteries are not dependent on electricity. But sun dials are definitely an alternative.” He said. Quote:
Originally Posted by dracomalfoylover1 Stacy raised her hand and said, "I think sundials are unreliable because sometimes we have cloudy and rainy days. How are we going to tell time then? But, we could use the sundials as a backup because some Wizarding places don't have electricity." “Sundials can definitely work as a backup to modern technology, Stacy. 2 points!” he replied. Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Kurumi thought for a moment before raising her hand. "I don't see why they wouldn't be useful. They tell time based on the movement of the sun, so unless the sun were to vanish...which would be bad for us all. As long as you are able to locate North, which you could do easily with a Point Me spell, you can position the sundail properly and get a pretty accurate reading." Besides, if you were stuck in the middle of no where, a sundial could be helpful. A little impractical, but still helpful. "Since actual time telling devices have been invented, people do not feel the need to use sundials, considering them rather primitive. There is also a small margin of error between the two hemispheres, which adds to their use not being as sought after anymore...not to mention that you have to have a lot of sunlight, so summer is the most practical of times." Kurumi paused for a moment, cocking her head to the other side. "That being said, while they can still be used...other means have been created so that we do not NEED them to tell time and, as you said professor, have been degraded to being a garden decoration. Their complex science and calculations forgotten." “Good points Kurumi. 4 points to Gryffindor. If you can locate north then a sundial can always give an accurate reading but sun light is of course necessary. In the middle of nowhere i guess a sun dial could be of use but I agree nowadays its primitive and impractical but a sun dial can still be of use if people took time to learn how to use them properly.” He said. Quote:
Originally Posted by alchemist_18 "I think The sundial are still used by some wizards and witches, but not many. Because sundial has some weakness. It was too BIG to carry on so nowadays wizards loved to use pocket watch. Besides that, it only determine the sun position, how if the weather was not sunny, maybe it was cloudy or rainy?" she said. “The sun dial has its apparent weaknesses your right Raven it needs sunlight to operate properly. 2 points.” He said Quote:
Originally Posted by KP1 Ryan thought about the question and raised his hand''I don't think many Witches and Wizards use them because they may have better technology,plus it sometimes can't tell the exact time which may lead to some accidents.''He said to the Professor. “Yes Ryan with any invention made by mankind there is always a risk of it causing accidents. 2 points to Gryffindor.” Edvard said. Quote:
Originally Posted by Poolicious Then before he finished his notes, the Astronomy Professor already asking them the next question. Messer raised his hand up "I think it still can be use to us, Sir. Even though its only work with the sun visible. Beside its important to us to know where did the modern devices come from." he said. “To know where things originated is always good Messer even if sun dials aren’t as important today they have been earlier in history. 2 points.” Professor Roslund said. Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 "I don't think they'd be useful anymore,'' Jory said raising his hand. "Suppose it's an extremely cloudy day? The sundial won't be of use. Plus everyone wears a watch now or atleast carry one in their pockets.'' Wow first person to argue against. “Yes Jory on a cloudy day a sun dial won’t be of great use but on other days but despite its impracticalness we can still if we wish use them. 2 points to Hufflepuff” Quote:
Originally Posted by lazykitty Raising her hand, Sky answered, "They could still be used if someone wanted to take the time to figure out what the symbols meant. But most people are so used to modern clocks that it's just easier for them to use those." Like herself, for example. She'd absolutely die if she had to use a sundial! “Another angle. Good reasoning Sky in a modern world most people have forgotten how to use a sundial properly and have therefore result to using modern clocks instead. 2 points” He said Quote:
Originally Posted by weasleytwinsROCK 'Professor,' she raised her hands, 'sundials can be useful nowadays, sometimes we actually need them to tell the time, for instance, you find them in clearings in forests, and although it's very unusual, you may use one, also, you may want to check accuracy against another clock.' “Sun dials can be found in clearings in forests and they can work as a reference when you want to know if your clock is running correctly. 2 points.” Professor Roslund said. Quote:
Originally Posted by sevensnared When most students (those he couldn't help listening to) stated that the sundial can still be used, Hades had the opposite opinion. After listening other students' answers, the messy haired boy raised up his hand. "I think it's better off as a garden decoration, professor. I don't think we can rely on the sundial to tell times because if the weather is cloudy, the thing won't be useful to determine time," he answered with an innocent expression. It was an opinion after all. “A sundial isn’t very reliable Hades on a cloudy and it is now being used as a garden decoration by some but that doesn’t mean it still can’t be used we just have to weigh it against other clocks. 2 points” Edvard said. Quote:
Originally Posted by nups21 She raised her hand up and answered, "I too don't think that the sun dials can be of much use now.. Who needs to.. or rather who wants to calculate to find the time, when all you have to do is look into a watch? So I feel that it is just better suited to be a piece of decoration.." Else why would they be in museums as part of history, right? “Good Ira. I think sundials can still be used but less people use them because its easier to look at wrist watches. 2 points.” He said. Quote:
Originally Posted by CassiopeiaAKTF "Professor? I don't think it would be used anymore as a sundial and i think it looks better in a garden... But maybe they use some parts with something else?" He didn't quiet get his own answer but at least he tried. Curious he asked “what parts of a sundial could be used in another object Daichi?” Quote:
Originally Posted by cheeseStrings "Uhm, we have a sun dial back there in house," Janice shrugged, "and Mum uses it to check the time if she's gardening to keep track of the time. So, yes, it could be both as a decoration and to really keep track of time, since it's more accurate than the normal clock. And if they get dirty you can always wash it up with water, not like the mechanical and electronic clocks that stops working if you put it in water." For the first time in a while Professor Roslund’s face lit up into a big smile “Yes Janice a sun dial is practical like that. It won’t malfunction if a little water gets on it. 3 points.” Quote:
Originally Posted by fanficfanatict But when Roslund asked if they were still important in today's world, Selina rose her hand and said, "I would gander that they are, sir. Why else would we learn about them?" “You learn about objects such as a sundial Selina to know the origin before you go on to learn about the first clock since knowing where things come from leads to a better understanding. 2 points. Quote:
Originally Posted by DanialRadFAN01 So it was a sundail?"Well of course. Just because a mode of doing something may become out-dated there is never any reason to completely get rid of it; well unless it was proven to harm or wrong others of course." He paused then continued. "You may need a sundial in order to tell the time if you are in a place without a clock or there is no other way to tell it. A sundial is also a rather simple thing to make on your own if you need to." “If it was harmful August then all sundials would be gotten rid off but since it’s not people can use them when they have no other clocks available. 2 points.”
“How and with what materials would you make a simple sundial out of August.” It seemed like he knew what he was talking about. Quote:
Originally Posted by CJP The sundial could not just be a garden decoration, thats because if it was; the professer would never be showing it to us. Olivia thought. "Wizerds use it to track the position of objects in the sky, other then the sun". She proclaimed. Although, some people might think it would be impossible to track objects such as planets, day or night; because in the day we cant see anything but the sun and at night we might not get a shadow. But with magic, Olivia was sure it was possible. Then it dawned on her! She raised her hand again "Um, can we see shadows from the moon at night?" She asked. "Cause if we could, they might show up on the sundial". Olivia was probly overthinking this. “No Olivia we can’t use the moon as a substitute on cloudy days because the moon gives off no light from itself and thus no shadow will on the sundial.”Edvard said. Quote:
Originally Posted by Anna Banana Hmm..."I think the only thing they'd really be useful for is if modern technology failed," she said, raising her hand. "We can always rely on the Sun, but technology can malfunction." She lowered her hand and added, "...but other than that, I don't think sundials are very useful now-a-days. I think we've got better and faster ways to tell the time." “Very true Sierra if technology fails people will go back to sundials but with modern and faster ways to tell time we don’t need sundials as much as in the past. 2 points.” Quote:
Originally Posted by tomewitch "Professor, as my classmates have already mentioned, I also believe that the sundial could be of great use to us amidst the modernization in our world," she answered as the next question was asked. Curious he asked “How Beatrice can a sundial be useful in the ongoing modernization?” Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry174 Laura looked at the Professor. "I think it can be used Professor, you could use it as a weapon if someone tries to rob your home, you just betend that the Spear is real and warn them you have got it, they would soon leave." Laura had no idea if it would work but well it sounded great. A little shocked Professor Roslund said “For all our sakes I hope we/you never need to make anyone believe that the sundial spear is a weapon you possess. You should stick to your and the use of your legs if you stumble upon a burglar.” Quote:
Originally Posted by Steelsheen He raised his hand tentatively and replied "Professor, I think the sundial can still be useful to us, if anything as a last resort or a back up when all our usual time devices fail, or some kind of magic would prevent them from working. Sundials are very practical-- they dont run on magic, or batteries or any kind of mechanical or magical up keep, they rely on the sun and the Earth's rotation. Its just a question now if the sundial one is using is built accurately and maintained properly." “A valid point master Vickers. A sundial doesn’t run on magic or any mechanical upkeep it does need to be maintained properly to work efficiently. 3 points.”
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He changed his footing and spoke to the whole class "As the majority of you have argued, the sun dial can still be of us to us in the modern wizarding or muggle world. Even though the sundial is impractical and might be less accurate on rainy/cloudy days people can still use them if they want as to check their clocks against or as a backup if modern technology fails." "We should not forget where the idea of clock originated from and if you maintain it properly then sundials don’t need to be only used a pretty garden decoration. As some of you have said in certain situations where technology may not work or is unavailable a sun dial can prove to be essential."
Putting the sun dials back down into its box he picked up a new object and held it up to the class. "Lets move on. Does anyone know what this object is and what it might be used for?"
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Last edited by Nordic Witch; 01-25-2012 at 07:14 AM.
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