Showing posts with label leeches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leeches. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Measuring atmospheric pressure by averaging over an ensemble of leeches

Wikipedia:

The Tempest Prognosticator, also known as the Leech Barometer, is a 19th century invention by George Merryweather in which leeches are used in a barometer. The twelve leeches are kept in small bottles inside the device; when they become agitated by an approaching storm they attempt to climb out of the bottles and trigger a small hammer which strikes a bell. The likelihood of a storm is indicated by the number of times the bell is struck.