Trixie

Little trick.

Look:

20160208-MW5D6464-1024

Outside my Sheridan classroom, Monday night.

So. I am curious. How fast was the wind blowing?

snow speed

Based on that, I estimate with a fair degree of accuracy, based on the light stand width, that those snow trails are 5cm in length (that’s about 2″).

So. Snow (and thus, the air) travels 5cm in 1/125 second.

That is 625 cm in a second (5 x 125, since the shutter speed is 1/125 sec). In other words, 6.25 m/s (metres per second). That’s how scientists and engineers express speed.

That is 6.25 x 3600 m per hour, i.e. 22,500 metres per hour.

In other words, 22.5 km/h. (=14 mph, or 12.5 kts).

That is a Beaufort scale force 4 wind, or “Moderate breeze”.

And all that because I have a camera. A curious mind is, well, fun.

 

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