WindBy: Loudoun SciencePals

About Us

Mercer Middle School ClubTeam members: Minna Kuriakose and Madeline Luberecki

- Science is our passion

- We want to share our passion with elementary school children

- Spark interest in the young children about science, experimenting and observation

We will explore wind, its uses, and how to measure it!

What is wind?

the perceptible natural movement of the air, esp. in the form of a current of air blowing from a particular direction.

Or…..

Any natural air that flows from one direction to another

What is wind used for and how does it help us? Wind is used to play instruments Wind can be used as an alternate energy source. (wind

turbines) Wind helps keep temperatures cooler(major part of

weather) In historic times, wind has been used to grind grain in wind

mills and to power sailboats

Wind in instruments

Wind is blown into the instrumentWind vibrates in the tube and makes a

sound

Wind as an alternate energy source.

Wind has been a growing interest for society as an alternative energy source

Wind spins the wind turbines which are connected to a generator to create electricity

Majority of world’s energy use is now dependent on fossil fuels

What are fossil fuels?

Wind is a major weather predictor

Wind is a major part in predicting the weather.

Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas. 

If the wind blows to our area from Canada bringing Artic air, we will feel a lot colder.

Experiment

We will make an Anemometer

What is an Anemometer

An anemometer is an instrument that is used to measure wind speed

Materials

Five 3 oz. Styrofoam cupsTwo plastic wooden skewers One pencil with unused eraserSingle hole puncherScissorsClay (tape will work but clay works better)Push pinPermanent marker

Procedure

Take four of the plastic cups and punch one hole in each about 1.5 cm below the rim

Take the fifth cup and punch 2 holes directly opposite of each other 1.5 cm below the rim. Now punch 2 more holes equally spaced between the first two holes, 1cm below the rim. (you should have a cup with four holes, one on each side of the cup)

Use the push pin and the scissors and make a hole in the bottom of the cup with four holes. The hole should be big enough for the pencil to fit through

Procedure

Slide the skewer through two holes in the fifth cup and take to other cups and slide the skewer through those as well. Put clay on the end of the straw to the inside of the cups and make sure that the openings of the two cups face opposite directions.

Do the same with the other skewers and cups. In the end each of the four cups should be facing sideways.

Insert the pencil(lead side) in the hole at the bottom on the fifth cup

Procedure

Draw an “X” on the bottom of one of the four cups.

Take it outside and hold it in an area where the wind is blowing.

Look at the X on the bottom of the cup as the wind spins the anemometer around. Count the number of times it spins around (revolutions) in ten seconds. Use the table in the next slide to estimate the wind speed.

Wind speed tableRevolutions in 10 seconds Wind speed in miles per

hour

2-4 1

5-7 2

8-9 3

10-12 4

13-15 5

16-18 6

19-21 7

22-23 8

24-26 9

27-29 10

30-32 11

33-35 12

Why is measuring wind speed important?

wind speed is a major part in predicting the weather

High wind speeds can indicate up coming storms.

High winds are needed though to spin wind turbines for wind energy

Any questions?

Citations

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tornato_11.09.05_003.jpg

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=5912http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power Clipart