Figure 30.
TYPES OF WIND INSTRUMENTS In order to get the information you need for a weather map, you will need many people to collect the data on the ground. One piece of data that is collected is the wind speed and direction. As you can imagine, these things are important when it comes to predicting the weather and what to expect. The most basic tool for measuring wind speed and direction is the anemometer. A weathervane is a simple example of this. These devices have cups on the ends of blades that catch the wind and spin. Certainly, if the wind is blowing rapidly, the propellers will spin more swiftly. When these are calibrated, you could actually predict the wind speed. Meteorologists often use hot wire anemometers, which are very capable of detecting small changes in the wind. Essentially, they use wind power to heat a small wire. A hotter wire means more wind speed. Figure 31 is a simple anemometer: 57