Have you ever faced a really strong wind, and wondered how fast it was blowing? One handy fact: once wind hits 25 miles an hour, flags blow straight to the side. Wind blowing 100 miles an hour is another story. The guy in this video tries to walk into wind blowing at that speed, and it knocks him over and blows him sideways across the ice! Wind happens because as the sun warms the ground and air, the warm air rises up above any cooler air. That churning causes wind of different strengths: breeze, gale, storm, or hurricane. Let’s find out which ones can blow us over!
Wee ones: Which is faster, a “light breeze” at 6 miles an hour, or a “gentle breeze” at 8 miles an hour?
Little kids: If an 8-mile an hour breeze speeds up by 1 mile an hour, how fast does it blow now? Bonus: Wind between 25 and 31 miles an hour is called a “strong breeze.” Does a 29-mile-an-hour wind count as a strong breeze?
Big kids: Any wind speed over 73 mph is hurricane force wind. By how much did this guy’s 100-mph wind beat that? Bonus: If he slid at 100 miles an hour across a giant frozen lake, how far would he travel in 15 minutes? (Reminder if needed: An hour has 60 minutes.)
The sky’s the limit: If you blow across the ice at 100 miles an hour towards your friend, and your friend walks towards you at 20 miles an hour, how far from your starting point do you meet if you start at the same time 60 feet apart? (Hint if needed: It doesn’t matter how far apart you start, or how much time it takes…what matters is the fraction of the distance each of you will move.)
Answers:
Wee ones: The gentle breeze is faster.
Little kids: 9 miles an hour. Bonus: Yes!
Big kids: By 27 miles per hour. Bonus: 25 miles, since he slides for 1/4 of an hour.
The sky’s the limit: 50 feet from your starting point. For every bit your friend travels, you travel 5 of those same chunks of distance. So of those 6 chunks, your friend slides for 1 of them. 60 feet cut into 6 equal chunks is 10 feet per chunk, so your friend slides just 10 feet while you slide 50.
