A weather vane only works if wind can flow freely and is not obstructed. This is why these instruments are usually placed at the highest point on a structure like a church or a house. They are used to show the direction from which wind blows. In the past, farmers relied on weathervanes whereas today technological advances have given us instruments to accurately measure wind speed and direction.
The earliest weather vane in recorded history was built by the astronomer, Andronicus. It honored the Greek God Triton and was a combination of man and fish. In ancient Greece and Rome, weather vanes depicting the gods adorned the dwellings of wealthy landowners.
In the ninth century, rooster weather vanes were found on the top many church steeples. The Smithsonian magazine states that Pope Nicholas 1 had decreed that every church needed one to remind believers of a biblical prophecy of Christ about Peter, the disciple who would betray him after his crucifixion. Today, the rooster shape remains popular, not only for its shape that is well suited to catching wind but due to the symbolism attached to it of welcoming the day and the light after the darkness.
The weather vane is shaped aerodynamically. The one end of its pointer is thicker than the other and has a larger surface area. This enables it to catch wind and turn the pointer. The large end points to where wind is going and the small end to where it is coming from.
If the weather vane has the correct shape and balance, it is able to move freely. If not, it may not move at all or shift when it moves. Weight has to be equally distributed on either side of the axis to enable it to move freely. In designing modern weather vanes, more consideration may be given to aesthetic appeal than the ability to determine wind direction as this is no longer considered necessary.
On the weather vane, just underneath the pointer, are fixed directional markers. They point towards the north, south, east and west. If the arrow is pointing toward the marker for north on the weather vane, wind is blowing from the north to the south.
When people see wind direction, they start noticing patterns and when they put this together with knowledge about the local climate, they start being able to make simple forecasts. They may notice, for example, that wind from a certain direction usually brings rain or that wind from another direction may mean that a storm is coming.
Knowing about where the wind was coming from was a great help to farmers in the past. They would examine the signs daily and put together their knowledge about the local area and climate to make their predictions. This could help them plant their crops in the right places and protect them. Today, we no longer need to determine weather by using weather vanes. We have plenty of modern instruments that are far superior. However, the appeal of this instrument remains and many people still enjoy placing them on their homes.
The earliest weather vane in recorded history was built by the astronomer, Andronicus. It honored the Greek God Triton and was a combination of man and fish. In ancient Greece and Rome, weather vanes depicting the gods adorned the dwellings of wealthy landowners.
In the ninth century, rooster weather vanes were found on the top many church steeples. The Smithsonian magazine states that Pope Nicholas 1 had decreed that every church needed one to remind believers of a biblical prophecy of Christ about Peter, the disciple who would betray him after his crucifixion. Today, the rooster shape remains popular, not only for its shape that is well suited to catching wind but due to the symbolism attached to it of welcoming the day and the light after the darkness.
The weather vane is shaped aerodynamically. The one end of its pointer is thicker than the other and has a larger surface area. This enables it to catch wind and turn the pointer. The large end points to where wind is going and the small end to where it is coming from.
If the weather vane has the correct shape and balance, it is able to move freely. If not, it may not move at all or shift when it moves. Weight has to be equally distributed on either side of the axis to enable it to move freely. In designing modern weather vanes, more consideration may be given to aesthetic appeal than the ability to determine wind direction as this is no longer considered necessary.
On the weather vane, just underneath the pointer, are fixed directional markers. They point towards the north, south, east and west. If the arrow is pointing toward the marker for north on the weather vane, wind is blowing from the north to the south.
When people see wind direction, they start noticing patterns and when they put this together with knowledge about the local climate, they start being able to make simple forecasts. They may notice, for example, that wind from a certain direction usually brings rain or that wind from another direction may mean that a storm is coming.
Knowing about where the wind was coming from was a great help to farmers in the past. They would examine the signs daily and put together their knowledge about the local area and climate to make their predictions. This could help them plant their crops in the right places and protect them. Today, we no longer need to determine weather by using weather vanes. We have plenty of modern instruments that are far superior. However, the appeal of this instrument remains and many people still enjoy placing them on their homes.
About the Author:
Check out an amazing selection of weathervanes by visiting our web pages now. To know more about our roof finials and our roof caps, use the links at http://www.ferroweathervanes.com/weathervanes today.
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق