Anemometer Design Challege

What Are Anemometers?

Anemometers are tools used to measure the speed of wind. Some use cups attached to rods. As wind blows, the cups catch it and cause the rods to spin around a central rod. The stronger the wind, the faster the rods turn.

Design Challenge

You and your design team have been hired to design an anemometer to measure the speed of wind. You can use any materials necessary to build an effective, working anemometer. First, you'll have to do some research to see what materials you will need for your build. There are a lot of resources out there. Here are some to get you started.

Google Images

Videos

Intructables

Materials

Teams can use any materials provided in the classroom. If teams require any material outside of the classroom, they may discuss further with the teacher.

One Rule!

Your anemometer must be functional! This means it must measure the speed of the wind. Your design will be put to the test with a fan. This means your design must have a way of tracking the speed. A speedometer will be provided for you, but how you use it in your design is up to your design team. Below is an image of the speedometer you will be using.

This is a wireless digital bike speedometer. It has three parts: the interface, a small magnet, and a sensor.

A signal is sent from a sensor located on the bike fork. The distance between the sensor and the interface can't be too far apart (only 70 cm).

The magnet gets attached to the wheel spokes. The sensor reads how long it takes for the magnet to pass. It then sends a signal to the interface. The distance between the magnet and the sensor can only be 3 mm.

Procedure

Step 1: Research and brainstorm designs with your group

Step 2: Sketch your design. Make sure the sketch is labeled with details.

Step 3: Make a list of the materials your team will use for the build.

Step 4: Build it! Take your design and make it a reality. Build your anemometer. Make sure you are able to incorporate the speedometer.

Step 5: Test it! Attach the speedometer to your design and test it. Start with the fan on low speed. Does the speedometer provide a read-out? Try increasing the speed of the fan.

Step 6: Modify it! If your design doesn't work, figure out what went wrong and make the corrections to your build. Try it out again.

Step 7: Present it!

Throughout the design and build process, your team will be taking pictures and videos. You will insert a Google Slides presentation (in Google Classroom) to your team's page and present to the class.

Think!

How can you incorporate the bike speedometer into your design?
Where will you place the magnet/sensor?
Where will you place the interface?

How to Win

The winner of the contest will be chosen by teachers and classmates. Your design will be scored on creativity, functionality, speed, and documentation.

Creativity: How creative and original was your group's idea? Did your group just replicate a design you found on the internet? Or did you change the design in a unique and creative way?
Functionality: How well did your design work? Were you able to get the speedometer to read the speed?
Speed: This one is easy. The fastest anemometer wins!
Documentation: This is the most important category. If your team wants a shot at winning, they must document their design process from start to finish. A page has been set up for each team to insert their Google Slides presentation (see Google Classroom).

What You'll Win

The winning design team will get to present their build to a small audience including your school principals.

Each member of the winning team will also win a Merge Cube!

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