2006-10-05 05:31:39 · 15 answers · asked by debbie j 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Geography
The drops are falling, guys, so there's no way to measure them with just a ruler.
What I would do is have a ruler set up in front of a high-speed camera, with a laser pointed directly at the ruler, in the same plane the ruler is in. This is so that when rain falls, you can video record it with high-speed photography so that it goes down very slowly, and then once a raindrop passes the laser, you go ahead and measure that raindrop against the ruler right next to it (Rain falls in 3D, but you need to use the laser to confine the rain you are measuring into a 2D plane, so perspective doesn't throw off your results).
2006-10-05 05:37:12 · answer #1 · answered by nicholaswright2006 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Frozen raindrops in the form of hail is easy to measure.
But that would be just the larger drops that are measured.
Small drops? Measure the volume of drops that land on something. As they are spheres, if you know the volume , you can work out the length.
How to measure a volume? You need constant rain.
Take an area of glass and a beaker with the top the same area of glass. Leave the glass out for 10seconds, and count the raindrops (freeze it quickly after 10 seonds).
Leave the beaker out for as long as the rain is constant. As you know how many drops fall in 10 seconds, you can work out how many drops have fallen while your beaker has been out there.
Only problem is that rain isnt constant.
2006-10-07 12:57:03 · answer #2 · answered by gemstonesr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Raindrops are not spherical as they adopt a rounded front with a 'tail' due to air friction.
I think if you put a camera and a flashgun in front of a ruler and photographed some VERY close to the ruler you would get a good idea.
2006-10-09 01:51:10 · answer #3 · answered by Roy S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a bizzare idea but probbably using a very good camera that could slow things down immensely. then film the rain by a ruler but you would need some kind of laser so you could see when the rain came in line with a certain point on the ruler. then measure from that line.
2006-10-05 13:56:14 · answer #4 · answered by will t 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Shave your head, measure the area of it, stand out in the rain next time, count the raindrops that land on it, divide them into the area of your head & HEY BINGO theres your answer...............yes I know its a stupid answer but you started it!
2006-10-05 14:06:13 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Raindrops are not long whilst falling, they are round.
2006-10-05 12:36:52 · answer #6 · answered by Ricky 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
high speed photography - swinging in the rain
2006-10-07 16:11:42 · answer #7 · answered by bryan s 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
With a ruler.
2006-10-05 12:32:30 · answer #8 · answered by Nick W 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
With a 'raindroposcope' of course.
2006-10-09 08:15:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
with a jug measured in litres!!
2006-10-08 15:45:39 · answer #10 · answered by samantha s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋