An activity you can use in the classroom
The Beaufort wind scale uses visual clues to estimate
the speed of the wind. These descriptions?calm,
gentle breeze, strong gale, hurricane?are often
given in weather forecasts. Actual wind speed is measured
with an anemometer, which measures wind speed in number
of revolutions per minute. In this activity, you'll
build a simple anemometer and measure wind speeds. You'll
also use the Beaufort wind scale to describe the wind
speeds you measure.
- 4 plastic drinking straws
- Tape
- Four small paper cups (such as those in bathroom
dispensers)
- One straight pin
- One pencil with an eraser
- Beaufort wind scale (included below)
- Arrange the four plastic
drinking straws to form a cross. Then tape the straws
together where they meet at the center of the cross.
- Tape one drinking cup to
the end of each straw, making sure that the bottoms
of the cups face the direction that your anemometer
will rotate.
- Push a straight pin through the center of the straws
into an eraser on the end of a pencil. This provides
the axle on which the straws and cups will rotate.
- Mark one cup as a reference. You'll be measuring
the speed of the wind by noting the number of complete
revolutions that the anemometer makes in one minute.
- Measure the wind speed in your classroom and at
several locations outside, noting your results on
the worksheet below. In addition, use the Beaufort
wind scale to describe the wind speeds at each location
you test.
|
