How to Make an Anemometer for Children
If you are learning about weather with children, it can be helpful to show them a tool that scientists use to measure wind speed--the anemometer. The cup anemometer is one of the simplest types of anemometers, and you can make it out of several simple materials. Keep in mind that this will not give you an extremely accurate reading, as it does not take friction into account.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 5 plastic cups (3 oz.)
- Hole puncher
- 2 plastic straws
- Stapler
- Scissors
- Pencil (non-mechanical, with intact eraser)
- Push pin
- Ruler
Instructions
-
-
1
Punch a hole in one of the cups, about 1/2 inch below its rim. Repeat with three of the other cups.
-
2
Punch four holes in the fifth cup, about 1/4 inch below the cup's rim and equidistant from each other. (To do this, punch two holes on opposite sides of the cup. Then punch two more holes directly between the original two holes, on either side.)
-
-
3
Use the scissors to cut an additional hole directly in the center of the bottom of the fifth cup. The hole should be about as big as the punched holes.
-
4
Slide a straw through the hole in the side of one of the first four cups. Fold over the end of the straw and staple it to the inside of the cup to hold it in place.
-
5
Slide the rest of the straw through two of the holes in the fifth cup, and then through the hole in another of the first four cups. Bend the end of the straw and staple it to the inside of the cup, making sure that the two end cups face in opposite directions.
-
6
Repeat Steps 4 and 5, using the remaining two cups. Make sure that all of the cups are facing in the same direction (clockwise or counterclockwise).
-
7
Push the pencil up through the hole in the center cup, eraser-side up. Then press a pushpin into the intersecting area of the two straws and jam it into the eraser as far as it will go.
-
8
Make a mark on one of the cups. You can use this mark to measure how quickly your anemometer is spinning. By counting how times the marked cup makes a complete circle, you can tell how many revolutions your anemometer has made.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
To use your anemometer to measure wind speed, take it outside and place the point of the pencil on the ground. Use your hands to gently hold it upright, and count how many revolutions it makes it one minute.
If you do not have 3 oz. cups, you can try cutting the tops off of larger cups to make them light enough to move in the wind.
Be careful when using staples around younger children.
