Related Links

• Science Fair Project Guide

Project Summary

Difficulty	7
Time required	Average (about one week)
Prerequisites	None
Material Availability	Readily available
Cost	Low ($20 - $50)
Safety	No issues

Share this Project Idea! |

Donate to Science Buddies

Internet Safety Tips

Get educated about online safety with help from Symantec. symantec.com/norton/familyresources

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this experiment is to find the most accurate way to predict the weather without using advanced technology, like satellites and computers. The two methods compared are the scientific (using homemade instruments) and the traditional (using observations of nature) methods.

Introduction

	Figure 1. Kite for meteorological observations.

Predicting the weather has become a science in itself. Through the use of satellite images and a variety of data-collection tools, we can now develop fairly accurate predictions of our weather patterns. Before the development of these more-advanced techniques, people used basic tools and/or stories and sayings to capture nature's signals of changes in weather, such as:

• Bad weather is coming when the cows lie down.
• Good weather is coming when the bees are busier than usual.
• Bad weather is coming when your bones or joints ache.

Click here to watch a video of this investigation, produced by DragonflyTV and presented by pbskidsgo.org

If you want to see how well this and other folklore predicts the weather, join Mari and Lindsay in the DragonflyTV video on the right as they watch the sky, make a homemade barometer, and put cows, bees, bones, and hair to the test for nine days, to see if natural signals can tell you what the weather is going to be like the next day. Which is more effective as a tool for prediction: our homemade instruments or nature's indicators?

Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research

In order to properly conduct this science fair project, you will need to learn the basics about weather. What is weather and what are the major factors that cause our weather to change?

Some key terms to understand:

• Atmospheric pressure (also known as barometric pressure)
• Relative humidity
• Dew point
• Air temperature and how it varies relative to atmospheric pressure
• Wind speed

Since you will also be constructing some homemade instruments to help you capture data, you will need to understand how each of the following instruments works:

• Hygrometer
• Barometer
• Weather vane

Bibliography

• TPT. (2006). Forecasting by Mari and Lindsey. DragonflyTV, Twin Cities Public Television. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/forecasting.html?video=forecasting

Basics of weather:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather
• http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/basics/wworks0.htm
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a government organization that collects, analyzes, and disseminates data on weather. Their website has an abundance of information on weather: http://www.noaa.gov/
• The Unisys Weather site (http://weather.unisys.com/) provides a complete source of graphical weather information. The graphics and data are displayed as a meteorologist would expect to see them. For the novice user, there are detailed explanation pages to guide them through the various plots, charts and images.

Glossary of weather terms:

• http://earthstorm.ocs.ou.edu/materials/glossary.php

Some sites that discuss weather lore:

• http://www.almanac.com/weathercenter/predictforecasts.php
• http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/weather-sailor.html
• http://snrs.unl.edu/amet351/janeczko/proverbs.html

How to build your own weather instruments:

• Constructing a barometer: http://www.fi.edu/weather/todo/barometer.html
• Constructing a hygrometer:
  • Using hair: http://www.fi.edu/weather/todo/hygrometer.html
    
• Constructing a weather vane: http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/weather/wind_vane.shtml

Materials and Equipment

• Homemade weather instruments (see links above for specific instructions and materials required to build each of these instruments):
  • Barometer
  • Hygrometer
  • Weather Vane
• Weather Lore:
  • To measure general weather observe: "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; Red sky in morning, sailor take warning."
  • To measure humidity observe: "A ring around the moon or sun, and rain approaches on the run."
  • To measure barometric pressure observe: "Sea gull, sea gull, sit on the sand, It's never good weather while you're on the land."
  • To measure wind direction observe: blowing smoke or leaves.
• Weather data chart
• Pen

Experimental Procedure

For the scientific method:

• Build each of the instruments you will use to capture your weather data.
• Collect data in your weather data chart twice daily (morning and evening).
• Based on the collected data, make morning and evening predictions about the oncoming weather and record these in our weather data chart.
• Compare each of your predictions to the control.

For the traditional (weather lore) technique:

• Observe "nature's signals" and collect data in your weather data chart twice daily (morning and evening).
• Based on the collected data, make morning and evening predictions about the oncoming weather and record these in our weather data chart.
• Compare each of your predictions to the control.

Control:

• Use the weather prediction in your local paper (or an online source, such as Unisys Weather, listed in the Bibliography) as the control and compare each of your predictions to the local paper. Make sure that you make your own predictions before reading the paper! ;-)

Variations

• For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Weather & Atmosphere Project Ideas.

Last edit date: 2009-04-29 12:00:00

Career Focus

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring careers in Weather & Atmosphere.

	Meterologist The atmosphere is a blanket of gases, surrounding Earth, that creates our weather. Meteorologists study the measurements and motion of the atmosphere, and changing events within it, so that they can predict the weather. This weather forecasting helps the general public and people who work in industries such as shipping, air transportation, agriculture, fishing, forestry, and water and power better plan for the weather, and reduce human and economic losses.			Emergency Management Specialist There will always be both manmade and natural disasters, like hurricanes, earthquakes, and terroist attacks, that affect public health and safety. Emergency management specialists are the officials that plan for these disasters—imagining and preparing for the worst—and then coordinating the emergency responses. Emergency management specialists work for local, state, and federal governments, as well as for law enforcement, the military and private agencies to ensure that people have the basic necessities, like clean water, food, temporary housing, sanitation, and first aid in a timely manner after a disaster. They also coordinate clean-up efforts. Emergency management specialists prevent or ease the human suffering, as well as the social chaos and instability that commonly follow a disaster.

Join Science Buddies Become a Science Buddies member! It's free! As a member you will be the first to receive our new and innovative project ideas, news about upcoming science competitions, science fair tips, and information on other science related initiatives. Support Science Buddies If this website has helped you, won't you consider a small gift so we may continue developing resources to help teachers and students?