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Science · Every game

Measuring the Weather: Gauges and Vanes

Rain in millimetres, temperature in degrees, wind by which way it comes from. Cloud you just look at.

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What it teaches

That weather is measured, and with what. A rain gauge gives millimetres, a thermometer gives degrees, a wind vane gives a direction — and cloud cover is judged by eye, which is worth saying because not everything in science has an instrument.

The storm is the best one: counting the seconds between the flash and the bang gives roughly a kilometre for every three, which is a measurement a child can make with nothing at all.

How it works

Something to measure appears and the instruments are the answers. Twelve of them, from a rain gauge to a barometer, and one that needs no instrument at all: cloud cover is judged by eye.

What to look for

A rain gauge is a straight-sided jar and a ruler. A week of readings on the fridge is the whole of this game, done properly.

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