Alpha science toys: How to make a cup anemometer

Cold autumn winds blow down the yellow leaves on the trees and bring gusts of cold air. But how does a weatherman know when a cold wind is blowing? Alpha Science Toys tell children that wind can also be measured. Today Alpha Science classroom teaches children how to make a cup anemometer with a paper cup to measure wind speed through the simple meteorological science experiment project. It’s a very cool science experiment for kids.

Today Alpha Science Toys will provide children with the most professional way to make a cup anemometer, guide them on how to use cups and straws to make a cup anemometer, and answer some questions they may encounter.

Alpha science classroom: children need to use scissors and a punching machine in a science experiment of meteorology, these tools are a little dangerous for children, so the Alpha science toys remind the children's guardian to help them complete the dangerous process together. In this process, parents can also increase their interaction with the children, which will surely make the children very happy. 

Alpha science classroom: Materials needed to make a cup anemometer

• 5 small (bathroom) paper cup

• 2 bottles of soda water

• 2 straws

• Paper punch

• Scissor

• Pushpin

• Small stapler

• Sharp pencil with eraser

1.children need to take out four paper cups and punch a hole about half an inch below the rim in each cup.

2.Children need the 5th cup, punch 4 evenly spaced holes about a centimeter down from the rim and also make a small hole in the bottom center of this cup(parents can help)

3.  Slide one of the straws through the hole in one of the 4 cups that has only one hole in it. Bend the end of the straw that is inside the cup and tape or staple it to the inside of the cup.

4.  Place the other end of the straw through two of the holes in the 5th cup. Then through the hole in one of the other cups. Also tape or staple the end of the straw to the inside of the cup.

5.  Children bend the straw and staple it into a single-hole cup, making sure the cup faces the opposite direction from the first cup. Repeat the process with another cup and the straw assembly and the remaining single-hole cups.

6.  Children need to make sure the 4 cups all have their open ends facing in the same direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) around the center cup. Push the pushpin through two intersecting straws. Push the end of the pencil eraser through the bottom hole in the center cup, then push the pushpin as far as possible into the end of the eraser.

Alpha science classroom: Scientific principle and calculation formula of a rotary cup anemometer

Alpha science class thinks an anemometer is useful because it rotates with the wind. To calculate the velocity at which your anemometer spins, determine the number of revolutions per minute (RPM). Next, calculate the circumference (in feet) of the circle made by the rotating paper cups. Multiply your RPM value by the circumference of the circle and you will have an approximation of the velocity at which your anemometer spins (in feet per minute). Your anemometer doesn't need to be pointed in the wind for use.

Convert your answer for RPM to miles per hour (MPH) using this formula:

RPM X 0.2142 = MPH

It is not necessary to point the anemometer towards the wind

Today, Alpha Science Classroom's rotary cup anemometer is complete, and kids can use their imaginations to test the different wind speeds each day to become the best meteorologists. If you want to learn more about the children's science experiment project of meteorology, you can also go to Alpha Science Toys to buy the science kit of meteorology and explore the mystery of natural meteorology together!