Experiment Number 2
Collecting Rain!
Did you ever wonder how much water falls from the clouds when it rains? I did, so I made a simple rain collector experiment for you to try which measures the amount of rain that falls each day.
What you'll need
1 Funnel
2 pint milk bottle (or similar, e.g. drinks bottle)
1 measuring jug
What to do
1. Put 20ml of water in the measuring jug and pour this into your bottle. Using a pen, or similar, mark a line where the level is. Do this 11 more times until you have marks from 20ml up to 240ml.
2. Place the funnel in the bottle. By doing this you have just created a rain gauge that will help you measure the exact quantity of rainwater which falls during a measured period of time.
3. Put the rain gauge outside in an exposed area where it can collect rain, but somewhere where it is protected from the wind. Avoid placing it under a roof, tree or wall. Make sure your rain gauge will not tip over.
4. Each morning observe the amount of water that has been collected in the cylinder and make a record of rainfall over a period of time.