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How to Make a Wind Gauge With Ping Pong Balls

Winds travel around the earth in response to the movement of the planet and the fluctuations of temperature, as heated air rises and cooler air rushes in to take its place. One of the instruments used by meteorologists to calculate wind speed is an anemometer. This device measures the degree of movement of an object in response to the force of the wind. A weather enthusiast can easily construct an anemometer with a few simple items and perform her own monitoring of local wind conditions.

Things You'll Need

Plastic protractor
Fishing line
Ping pong ball
11-inch by 14-inch cardboard
Glue
Masking tape
Ruler or tape measure
Fan (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Cut 12 inches of fishing line. Hold the protractor with the straight-end up and the front towards you, and insert one end of the line through the small hole located in the middle of the straight end. Pass it back up over the top of the protractor towards you and then back again into the hole. Trim off any excess line and tape the end to the back of the protractor.
- 2
  Connect the ping pong ball to the other end of the fishing line. Hold the protractor up and make sure the line runs directly along the 90 degree mark, and the ball moves freely. Adjust the tape on the back of the protractor, if necessary.
- 3
  Lay the cardboard down horizontally and glue the protractor to the lower half of it. The bottom, or rounded, part of the protractor should just clear the bottom of the cardboard. Place a table of wind speeds and their corresponding degree settings on the cardboard above the protractor. The Nauticus Museum suggests the following correspondences: 90 degrees - 0 mph, 80 degrees - 8 mph, 70 degrees - 12 mph, 60 degrees - 15 mph, 50 degrees - 18 mph, 40 degrees - 21 mph, 30 degrees - 26 mph, 20 degrees - 33 mph.
- 4
  Take the anemometer outside and hold it with the 90 degree mark perpendicular to the ground. The ping pong ball will move in reaction to the wind. Make a notation of the degree reading on the protractor, the corresponding wind speeds and any notable weather conditions.

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