PSU Barometer Could Be World’s Tallest
Builders of a barometer at Portland State University’s Engineering Building hope it will qualify as the tallest instrument for measuring air pressure in the world.
The barometer in the building’s atrium will have a fluid column of nearly 41 feet. A barometer recognized by Guinness World Records in the 1990s had a 33-foot fluid column.
The Oregonian reports instrument technician Tom Bennett got the idea to re-use 2-inch diameter glass pipe that was available after a chemistry lab was remodeled.
He’s finishing the project this week. The glass pipe is filled with a column of water – not mercury, which was used in early barometers. Bennett expects the barometer will be sensitive enough to measure changes in air pressure caused by simply opening a door in the building.
- Jury Awards $80M to 3 Former Zurich NA Employees for Wrongful Termination
- Florida’s Home Insurance Industry May Be Worse Than Anyone Realizes
- 2024 Wildfire Forecast Calls for ‘Below Average’ Season
- Farm Bureau Must Defend Insured in Deadly Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak in Carolina