Weather Instruments
and their uses
Workbook
If someone were to ask you how warm or hot it was you would
respond based on how you were feeling. If you said it was very
cold you would be talking about the air around you. You are also
doing the same if you tell someone it is windy, humid or cloudy.
You are describing the weather. The weather is what conditions
are going on around us. Weather includes the air, temperature,
air pressure and amount of moisture in the air.
There are many instruments used to
measure the weather. An aneroid
barometer is one device that can
measure air pressure. It is an
accordion-like metal can with most of
the air removed. Inside a spring
balances the outside air. When the outside air pressure
increases, the can squeezes the spring. When air pressure
decreases, the spring pushes outward. There is a needle in the
device that can tell you what pressure changes have occurred.
A thermometer is another device
that can help a scientist to predict
weather. A thermometer has a liquid
in it that will respond to cold and hot
conditions. When it is very hot, the
liquid in the thermometer will
expand. The liquid will then rise in
the glass tube. When it is very cold,
the liquid will condense or shrink,
and the liquid will go down. This is
a very useful tool.
An anemometer measures wind
speed. The cups catch the wind,
turning a dial attached to the
instrument. The dial shows the wind
speed. This is very useful to
demonstrate the wind speed of
storms.
A rain gauge is also useful when
collecting information about how
much precipitation (rain, hail, sleet
or snow) that has fallen over a given
time. This simple instrument
collects precipitation and can tell
scientists a great deal about a
weather pattern when collected over
a long period of time.
A weather vane is a very simplistic
tool that has been used for hundreds
of years. It usually sits on top of a
house or building where it can be
directed by the wind. The weather
vane will be moved by wind and will
point in the direction that the wind is
blowing. This is one way that we
can tell which direction the wind is
blowing from.
Important Terms
Weather
Includes the air, temperature,
air pressure and amount of
moisture in the air.
Aneroid Barometer
A device that can measure air
pressure.
Thermometer
A device that can measure
temperature.
Anemometer
A device that measures wind
speed.
Rain Gauge
A device that catches
precipitation and measures it.
Precipitation
Rain, sleet, hail snow.
Weather Vane
An instrument that can predict
wind direction.