Make Weather Instruments With Everyday Household Products
The weather can make or break a special trip or occasion. Unfortunately, the weather forecast provided by the media aren't always accurate. Learning make weather instruments with everyday household products will enable you to set up your own little weather station at home to watch for impending changes in the weather.
Instructions
Making a Barometer
1. Tape the ruler upright, on the inside of the glass container so the numbers are visible.
2. Tape the plastic tubing next to the ruler, making sure it does not touch the bottom of the glass by positioning it half an inch above the bottom of the glass container.
3. Fill the glass container half full with clean tap water. Chew the chewing gum until it is soft. Suck some of the water up into the tube about halfway and quickly seal the top of the tube with the chewing gum so the water remains in the tube.
4. Mark the level of the water in the tube on the ruler. Observe each day and make another mark if the water level changes. Notice how the water level rises when the air pressure increases and falls when the air pressure decreases. Low pressure usually indicates clouds and precipitation, while high pressure predicts fair weather conditions.
Making a Weather Vane
5. Cut a vertical slit about half an inch deep in each end of the wooden ruler. Pound a nail all the way through the ruler at exactly the midpoint. Turn the wooden ruler around several times on the nail, until it moves easily.
6. Cut a head and tail out of the aluminum pie or baking sheet. The head should be triangular in shape, and the tail should resemble a trapezoid. Make the longest edges of both shapes the same length.
7. Glue the head into one slot on the end of the ruler with the point of the triangle facing outward like an arrow and the tail into the slot at the other end of the ruler with the small side of the trapezoid touching the wood and the large side facing outward. Make sure both pieces are secure, and the glue is dry.
8. Place the metal washer on the end of the broomstick or thick wooden dowel. Place the pointed end of the nail that is sticking out of the ruler through the hole in the washer and hammer the nail into the dowel or broomstick, leaving room for your weather vane to move easily.
9. Set up your weather vane outside on a fence by securing it with wire so it sticks up above the fence but is still securely fastened. Watch the weather vane when the wind blows. The head of the weather vane will always point in the direction from which the wind is blowing, not which directions the wind is blowing toward.
Tags: glass container, weather vane, your weather vane, bottom glass, facing outward, half inch