How to Measure Kilometers Per Hour for an Anemometer

An anemometer can measure how fast the wind is blowing.

Anemometers measure the speed of wind. Commercial anemometers can be set to give you a reading in kilometers per hour. If you are using a homemade anemometer, you can estimate the wind speed in miles per hour and then convert it to kilometers.

Things You'll Need

• Commercial anemometer
• Homemade anemometer

Instructions

Measuring Against a Commercial Anemometer

1. Set up your homemade anemometer in an open field.

2. Turn on your commercial anemometer. Set it to measure kilometers per hour.

3. Count 10 spins of the homemade anemometer. Check how many kilometers per hour that equals on the commercial anemometer. This is your base unit.

4. Put the commercial anemometer away. Watch the homemade anemometer for one minute, counting the spins.

5. Divide the total number of spins by 10 to determine how many base units you must use. Multiply this number by the number of kilometers per base unit. For example, if the wind was traveling 3 kilometers per 10 spins and your anemometer spun 25 times in one minute, you would multiply 3 km by 2.5 to determine the wind speed.

Estimating Wind Speed Without a Commercial Anemometer

1. Set up your homemade anemometer in an open field. Count how many times the anemometer spins in one minute.

2. Estimate how fast the wind is moving in miles per hour. According to the Stevens Institute of Technology, 10 spins per minute is equivalent to 1 mile per hour. Therefore, divide the total number of spins by 10 to determine the wind speed in miles per hour.

3. Convert miles per hour to kilometers per hour. One mile is equivalent to 1.6 kilometers. Therefore, multiply the number of miles by 1.6 to get the number of kilometers. For example, 2.5 miles is equivalent to 4.02 kilometers.

References

• Stevens Institute of Technology: Make and Use an Anemometer