When your ears pop on an airplane as it climbs away from the airport or when you drive up into the mountains, you're experiencing a change in air pressure. A barometer measures that air pressure and can predict upcoming weather changes. Here's how to make your own.
Creating Your DIY Barometer
First, cover a coffee can — small to medium sized — with plastic wrap and secure it with a rubber band. Make sure the plastic wrap is tight or the experiment won't work.
Covering the can seals the air inside it. Next, bend a straw into an "L" with the long part on the plastic wrap and tape it to the plastic wrap. Make sure it's level.
Now, grab an index card and a straight straw and tape them together and attach the whole thing to the can. Then, mark the spot where the straw is right now with a marker.
Place it on a table away from windows and let it sit for a few hours.
How to Read Your Barometer
. When the plastic wrap moves up and the straw's tip has gone down, it means air pressure has dropped and active weather is ahead, like rain or snow. When the air pressure goes up, the straw's tip moves up, meaning clear, nice weather. The air in the can is sealed, so as pressure goes up or down, the plastic will rise or fall.
If you make your own barometer, keep a journal this week and record how it moves at the same time each day, and then record the weather conditions you see. You can use it to see how changes in air pressure change the weather where you live.
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