Moon Maths project – Stonehenge Sunrise

  Moon Maths project film trailer

A short film documenting the journey undertaken by 15 students from City of Bristol College to Stonehenge. The project was instigated by their tutor Ivor McGilvrey with an aim to re-engage his group with Maths through the study of the sun path and lunar cycles at the ancient site of Stonehenge.

Using modern technology and natural elements such as the sun path and lunar cycles at Stonehenge, an original musical score was generated from data collected at the site using digital midi technology and analogue models.

On 1st May 2008, a party of A-Level and OCN Mathematics students from City of Bristol College travelled to Stonehenge. We first walked to a viewpoint nearby to see Stonehenge as centre of a pre-historic landscape of the dead, surrounded by burial mounds.

The students then calculated the direction of Summer Solstice sunrise in 5000 BC using theodolite and trigonometry, while others worked out the height of the sarsens that make up the stone ring.

Finally the party observed sunset and moonrise from the centre of the ancient monument – an amazing end to a perfect day.

Moon Maths is a collaboration between Sound Gallery and Playback Youth Theatre. Supported by City of Bristol College and Aim Higher.