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How to Use a Cricket as a Thermometer

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(23 Ratings)

Male crickets rub their wings together to attract females. You can measure the air temperature to within a few degrees by listening to a chirping cricket and applying a simple mathematical formula.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Timers
  • Stopwatches
  1. Step 1

    Count the number of times that the cricket chirps in 14 seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Add 40 to this number. This will be the air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

Tips & Warnings
  • Different species of crickets respond differently to the air temperature and will use slightly different calculations. This formula is based upon an average of common cricket species.
  • To calculate the temperature in degrees Celsius, count the number of chirps in 8 seconds and add 3.
  • The accuracy of these formulas decreases as the air temperature nears freezing.
  • A chirping cricket is considered to be a sign of good luck in some countries, such as Britain.

Comments  

GreenMomma said

Flag This Comment

on 3/12/2009 that's crazy! i had no idea!!!

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eHow Article: How to Use a Cricket as a Thermometer

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