Professor Figgy's Weather and Climate Science Lab for Kids by Jim Noonan

Author:Jim Noonan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quarry Books
Published: 2021-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Fig. 4: Mount the arrow on the pencil eraser. Then take note of which way the arrow points in the wind.

CREATIVE ENRICHMENT: DID YOU KNOW?

Weather vanes are probably the earliest instruments used to measure and predict the weather. The astronomer Andronicus built the first recorded weather vane for the Tower of the Winds in Athens.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE FUN

Instead of pointing in the direction that wind is traveling, weather vanes indicate the direction from which the wind originates. If your weather vane points to the N triangle, this means the wind is coming from the north and traveling in the southernly direction.

This is because the arrow’s tail has a greater surface area than its point and is more affected by the wind’s force. The tail creates greater drag (air resistance), and the wind forces it back as far as it will go until it’s parallel to the wind’s path. This provides the least resistance and points the arrow in the other direction, into the wind.

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