Create an Analog Clock

Introduction:
In this activity students will create a working analog clock in Squeak.
They will:
•Analyze what objects are needed to represent a clock
• Identify the units used to measure the clock hand movement
• Script the movement of the hands to simulate time

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Content: Mathematics, Squeak, 5-7th grade

Math topics:
Angles & Degrees
Ratio
Center of Rotation
Angular Speed
Time

Goals:
After making the Analog Clock Students should be able to:

• Use a graphic interface to create a virtual tool

• Understand the concept of “Center of Rotation”
• Understand the concept of angular speed to move the clock’s hands
• Use the concept of ratio to determine the correct speed for each hand
.

Squeak Prerequisites:

• Painting an object
• Location of “Center of Rotation” of an object
• Familiarity with “basic” menu tiles:
“turn by-“ ; “heading”; x and y locations
• Making a “Reset” scrip

Teacher Information

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Pacing:
This activity can be done as a whole class discussion with one computer and a
projector, in small groups, or be left to each student.

What the students will do:

1) Identify the minimum necessary objects (parts) of a Squeak analog-clock.

and paint objects to represent them. Clock-face; Minute-hand; Hour-hand

2) Identify the type of movement of the hands. Rotation

Decide how to create it? Center and Degrees

Note: The moving parts of the clock are turning using a “turn by-“ tile or by the
heading tile (extended to “heading increase by-“)
Turning is measured by degrees of a clockwise angle. When an object is turning, it
uses a rotation center. This spot should be in the middle of the clock-face. The
center of rotation of each hand needs to be moved to this point. The center of
rotation is made visible by activating the halo.

3) Discover the mathematical connections between the movement of the minute-

hand and the hour- hand and translate this finding into a script that will move the
hands.

Note: In one hour the minute hand moves 360 degrees while the hour-hand moves
30 degrees. Students can discover the ratio and use it to find out how-to set the
relative speeds of the hands (what “turn-by” degree can be used for realistic hand
movements)
Below are 4 examples of clock-move scripts.

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Having a reset script is useful for while the student is making the ratios work.
Firing this script will return the hands to the “Noon” position. Students can then
fine tune with ease. Below is an example of a reset script that assembles the clock
parts to read 12:00.

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 Creating an Analog Clock
Directions:
1. Paint a clock face (for a perfect circle see students’ information); keep. The
picture shows 4 steps for creating a clock-face.

2. Paint a minute-hand to be the size of a radius of the clock-face. Better paint

it standing on the clock-face at 12 o’clock position. Keep.

3. Paint an hour-hand; choose different color then the minutes-hand, paint it on

12 o’clock position. Make sure it is shorter than the minutes-hand. Keep.

4. Move rotation center of each hand to the center of the clock face. (This will
help you with the reset button as well, since object’s “x= “ “y=” are those
of its rotation center)
5. Open a viewer for each of the 3 objects.
6. Create a script that puts parts together to show 12 o’clock (Name it “reset12”
script). Optional: get a button to fire this script.
7. Create the clock-move script.
8. Fire the “reset12” script.
9. Let the clock-move script work. Adjust the pace of each hand to make it
work like a real clock with hands passing each other and lining up at the
proper times.

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Challenges and extensions:
• Make your clock work in “real time” (not “fast forward”)
• Create an analog clock with 3 hands: seconds, minutes and hours.
• We can read the time from the hour hand alone. The minutes-hand
just makes it easier on us. Create a script that adjusts the position of
the minute-hand to match the position of the hours-hand.
• Create the clock face of your dreams
• Make the clock chime every full hour*
• Add an AM and PM sign.*
• Add an alarm feature to the clock.*
• Create a digital clock. *

* These extensions will require the use of the “Test” function of Squeak

Useful information:
Here are some Squeak instructions that can help in the creation of an Analog
Clock.
1. To get the halo of an object, place the cursor on the colored part of the
object, hold alt-key down and click the mouse.
2. To draw a circle and its center, start by drawing the center, a dot of the
desired size. Use that dot as the center from which you start drawing the
circle with the circle drawing-tool.
3. To draw a perfect circle, hold the shift key down while using (dragging) the
circle drawing tool.
4. To change the location of the rotation center of an object, drag the center
while holding the shift-key down.
5. It is a good idea to build a reset script that will put the clock in starting
position, ready for work or for a new experiment. This means all hands will
be centered on the middle of the clock face and be lined up to read 12:00. In
this script every object should have the same values for its x and y, and have
headings set to zero. To get a button that fires (executes once) a script:
move the cursor to the upper part of the script. Hold it down on the name of
the object the script belongs to (in thin blue frame). A menu will open. Click
on the one that says: “button to fire this script” and the button will appear.
6. The degrees for headings or for turning do not have to be integers; they can
be decimals or even an expression like 6/65.

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 7. To set the pace of a script, hold the mouse down on the clock at the top of
the script. Choose the desired numbers of tics per minutes. The bigger the
number, the fastest the script runs.

Standards: (NCTM grade 6-8)

Number and operations: Understand the use of ratios and proportions to represent
quantitative relationships.
Develop, analyze, and explain methods for solving problems involving
proportions, such as scaling and finding equivalent ratios.
Measurement: Understand, select, and use units of appropriate size and type to
measure angles, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume.
Solve simple problems involving rates and derived measurements for such
attributes as velocity and density.
Geometry: Recognize and apply geometric ideas and relationships in areas
outside the Mathematics classroom, such as art, science, and everyday life.

Illinois Math standards

6.A.3 Represent fractions, decimals, percentages, exponents and scientific
notation in equivalent forms
6.B.3a Solve practical computation problems involving whole numbers, integers
and rational numbers6.B.3b Apply primes, factors, divisors, multiples, common
factors and common multiples in solving problems..
7.A.3b Apply the concepts and attributes of length, capacity, weight/mass,
perimeter, area, volume, time, temperature and angle measures in practical
situations.
7.B.3 Select and apply instruments including rulers and protractors and units of
measure to the degree of accuracy required

Avigail Snir, Feb 2007