Outdoor Education: Predict Temperatures With a Cricket Thermometer

Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Update.com

Here's a way to amaze, astound and entertain your students on their next outing…and maybe even get your pack carried on the next portage.

Simply bet some hapless student that you can predict the temperature from a cricket's chirp.

This isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. It seems there is a surprisingly close relationship between air temperature and the frequency at which cricket's chirp.

Cricket Predictor Calculations
To determine the temperature in Celsius, count the number of cricket chirps in eight seconds, then add four. Nine times out of ten, this will give you the temperature to within one degree.

Example: 16 chirps (in 8 seconds) + 4 = 20º C

For American crickets, get a 14-second chirp count, then add 40 to get the degrees in Fahrenheit.

Example: 35 chirps (in 14 seconds) + 40 = 75º F

Remember, you'll have to bring a thermometer to verify your prediction and collect on any bets. Also, I'd make sure the next portage is a short one…just in case.

Reference:
1. "Cricket Chirps to Temperature." The Old Farmer's Almanac, 2008.
http://www.almanac.com/outdoors/crickets.php
2. Janice Farintosh-Clark, "Outdoor Canada Weather Forecaster," Outdoor Canada, May, 1985.

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