Anemometer
Channel: all the knowledge of the universe PRINCIPIA
Date: 2021-12-06

Anemometer, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=2994 / CC BY SA 3.0

#Italian_inventions
#Measuring_instruments
#Meteorological_instrumentation_and_equipment
#Navigational_equipment
#Wind_power
#15th-century_inventions
A hemispherical cup anemometer of the type invented in 1846 by John Thomas Romney Robinson.
An anemometer is a device used for measuring wind speed and direction.
It is also a common weather station instrument.
The term is derived from the Greek word anemos, which means wind, and is used to describe any wind speed instrument used in meteorology.
The first known description of an anemometer was given by Leon Battista Alberti in 1450.
The anemometer has changed little since its development in the 15th century.
Leon Battista Alberti （1404–1472） is said to have invented the first mechanical anemometer around 1450.
In the ensuing centuries numerous others, including Robert Hooke （1635–1703）, developed their own versions, with some being mistakenly credited as the inventor.
In 1846, John Thomas Romney Robinson （1792–1882） improved upon the design by using four hemispherical cups and mechanical wheels.
In 1926, Canadian meteorologist John Patterson （January 3, 1872 – February 22, 1956） developed a three-cup anemometer, which was improved by Brevoort and Joiner in 1935.
In 1991, Derek Weston added the ability to measure wind direction.
In 1994, Andreas Pflitsch developed the sonic anemometer.
Cup anemometer animation A simple type of anemometer was invented in 1845 by Rev Dr John Thomas Romney Robinson, of Armagh Observatory.
It consisted of four hemispherical cups mounted on horizontal arms, which were mounted on a vertical shaft.
The air flow past the cups in any horizontal direction turned the shaft at a rate that was roughly proportional to the wind speed.
Therefore, counting the turns of the shaft over a set time interval produced a value proportional to the average wind speed for a wide range of speeds.
It is also called a rotational anemom...