HOW TO MAKE a SIMPLE ANEMOMETER

by Waren-Neutron in Workshop > Science

606 Views, 1 Favorites, 0 Comments

HOW TO MAKE a SIMPLE ANEMOMETER

make-cup-anemometer-200X200.jpg
      An anemometer is an instrument used to measure wind speed. You can make a cup anemometer using items from around the house to learn about wind speed and velocity. This is an easy project to do with kids.

images.jpeg

Things You'll Need:

  • Five 3-oz paper cups
  • Two soda straws
  • One push pin
  • One pencil with an eraser
  • Hole puncher
  • Stapler
  • Scissors
  • Ruler

 

make-cup-anemometer-1.1-120X120.jpg
       
        Starting with four of the cups, measure a half an inch below the rim and make a mark. Punch one hole in each cup where you make the mark.

 

make-cup-anemometer-1.3-120X120.jpg
      Punch a hole in the bottom of the cup that already has four holes in it. It can be kind of tricky to use the hole puncher so you can just poke a hole in it with scissors to make the opening (as show in the picture).

 

make-cup-anemometer-1.4-120X120.jpg
      Grab one of the one-hole cups and slide a straw through the hole. Carefully fold the end of the straw and using the stapler, attach the folded straw to the cup right across from the hole. Do this again for one of the other one-hole cups. At this point you should have two cups with straws stapled on the inside.

 

make-cup-anemometer-1.5-120X120.jpg
 

  •     Take one of the cups with a straw attached and and slide the other end of the straw through two holes in the cup with four holes. Then take one of the one-hole cups (without a straw) and slide it onto the end. Fold the end of the straw and staple it to the cup.

  • Repeat step 5 for the other one-hole cups remaining.




    • make-cup-anemometer-1.7-120X120.jpg
    Turn the straws so that the cups are all facing in the same direction.

     

    make-cup-anemometer-1.8-120X120.jpg
    Stick the push pin through the point where the two straws meet. Put the pencil through the hole in the bottom of the four-hole cup. Then stick the pin into the eraser.

     

    make-cup-anemometer-200X200.jpg
     

  •    Now your anemometer is complete and you can watch it spin around when the wind picks up. Keep it upright to use.
                                 TO CALCULATE HOW FAST ANEMOMETER IS SPINNING

  •     To calculate how fast the anemometer is spinning, make a mark on one of the cups and count how many times the mark passes in front of you in one minute. This is revolutions per minutes (RPM). Then figure out the circumference (using feet) of the circle that is made by the rotating cups. Multiply the circumference by the RPM and you will have an approximate velocity in feet per minute.