How To

How to Make a Barometer with a Jar and Balloons

By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor
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Creating a barometer is quick and easy with nothing more than a glass jar, a balloon, an ordinary drinking straw and some rubber cement. The results will provide you will a handy tool for recording changes in air pressure that will tip you off to incoming weather fronts. High pressure readings indicate fair weather with little or no precipitation. A low reading suggests cooler weather with a chance of precipitation on the way. Your friends will be amazed by your new ability to predict weather patterns with something as simple as a homemade barometer from common household items!

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Glass jar (small mouth)
  • Drinking straw
  • Balloon
  • Rubber band
  • Rubber cement
  • Paper and pencil
  1. Step 1

    Take an ordinary drinking straw, not the flex type, and flatten a section 1-inch long on one end. With a sharp pair of scissors, carefully clip a diagonal line from the tip of the flattened end to the end of the fold. This will create a 1-inch tip that resembles a quill.

  2. Step 2

    Color the tip using a fine tip marker. This is the pointer used to measure pressure and should be easy to see.

  3. Step 3

    Cut the balloon in half and stretch it over the mouth of the jar so that it is taut. Secure it with a rubber band.

  4. Step 4

    Apply rubber cement in a strip from the center of the balloon to the edge of the jar.

  5. Step 5

    Place the drinking straw on the rubber cement with the uncut end in the center and the quill pointed outward. The quill should extend about about 6 inches past the rim of the jar, perpendicular to the top of the jar. Hold the straw in place until the glue dries.

  6. Step 6

    Mark a sheet of paper at regular intervals to keep track of changes in atmospheric pressure. Tape the paper to the wall near a stand or shelf you intend to display the barometer on.

  7. Step 7

    Place the barometer near the paper so that the pointed end of the straw nearly touches the paper. Mark the point where the straw rests. Add a time and date to the reading.

  8. Step 8

    Record your readings on a daily basis and watch the pressure change according to the air pressure. You may want to watch the weather channel for a few days to get a good idea of what your readings really mean. Jotting down the atmospheric pressure reported for your area next to your readings will give you basic number readings for your chart.

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