Designed for – Class III-VIII

Time – 1 hour

 

Objectives

Wind speed is an important meteorological parameter. The objective of the experiment is to design an instrument to measure wind speed.

 

Prerequisites

Before the beginning of the experiment, briefly describe the formation of wind

And about the cyclonic conditions when wind speed reaches maximum level. 

Tools required

One 30cm strong thread; a ping pong ball or any other very lightweight small ball; a pitch board of 15cm✖10cm; one protractor and sellotape. 

Methods

Attach the protractor with a pitch board with the help of a sellotape. Now, attach one end of the thread with the ping pong ball with a small piece of sellotape and attach the other end of the thread to the center of the protractor’s top edge. Now, when you hold the pitch board in the direction of the wind, the ball attached to the thread should move by catching the wind and making an angle. The windier it would be, the thread (and the ball) will move from the center creating an angle close to zero degrees. Use the conversion rate chart to measure the wind speed. 

 

Expected results

Angle   Wind Speed (m/s)

   90 0

   80 3.6

   70 5.3

   60 6.7

   50 8.1

   40 9.4

   30 11.4

   20 14.4

   

Try to see the wind near buildings and in an open field at the same time.

 

Pro-tips

There is a mobile app to help you with this. You can also see the Beaufort Scale to understand the different specifications of wind speed.