What size is your carbon footprint?

Devices to measure the wind

Here are some ideas to help you design a device for

measuring the strength of the wind.

Do they really want to measure

my wind?Not that kind of wind, you fool!

What size is your carbon footprint?

Devices to measure the wind

cotton thread

3 points

ribbon

2 points

thick string

1 pointHere, the

wind strength is…

3 + 2 + 1 = 6 points

This is the easiest to make. You tape three different kinds of thread to a stick.

The wind strength is scored according to the position of each thread:

straight down = 0 points,¼ way up = 1 point, ½ way up = 2 points,¾ way up = 3 points, horizontal = 4 points.

Then add the points from all three threads to give a total score.

What size is your carbon footprint?

Devices to measure the wind

This is fun to make. You need scrap card, a piece of ribbon, a protractor, ruler and sticky tape. The device can be taped to a stick or a ruler.

This device is easy to score.

The wind strength here

is…5.

What size is your carbon footprint?

Devices to measure the wind

0 1 2 3

7

8

6

This is a bit more complicated.

A measuring scale is taped onto a stick. The swinging measure is a piece of card, hanging by paper clips from another stick.

We had to use paper clips to weigh it down.

The wind strength here

is…4.

What size is your carbon footprint?

Devices to measure the wind

This is the template for a hand held design. You need a piece of card, thread and a ruler (to measure the distance between the lines) and a pencil.

What is the wind strength in this example?

thread

tie here

scale marked on stiff card

wind from this direction

Ideas from the book ‘Teaching about Energy,’ by Clare Eastland. (Published by Southgate Publishers ISBN 1-85741-088-2). Energy.

What size is your carbon footprint?

Devices to measure the wind

Time site 1 site 2 site 3 site 4 site 5

Monday am 6 5

Monday pm

Tuesday am

Tuesday pm

Wednesday am

Wednesday pm

Thursday am

Thursday pm

Friday am

Friday pm

You will need to make a wind strength record sheet.

You’ll also need to describe

the exact locations so you don’t forget

where each place is!

What size is your carbon footprint?

Devices to measure the wind

Wind direction is measured with a wind vane and it is described by the compass point from which the wind is coming e.g. south, south west etc.

You’ll need to plot the compass points and mark these on the ground, before you can record wind direction.

Then plot the wind direction for each day of the month on a graph called a wind rose. If there isn’t any wind, you just mark the centre.

The direction from which the wind blows most frequently is called the prevailing wind.

Extension: Recording wind direction on a Wind Rose

This PowerPoint and lesson are based on work by Ian Mitchell, The Green Egg Company, developed & edited by Amie Andrews for TLCP and Ali Ross, Sundog Energy.