How can crickets tell us the temperature

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There is a lot of weather lore about animals and weather. There are groundhogs like Punxatawney Phil. And squirrel nests? Cue the crickets. Your support matters. Support MPR News.

This correlation between air temperature and the rate at which crickets chirp was first studied by Amos Dolbear, a 19th century American physicist, professor, and inventor. Dolbear systematically studied various species of crickets to determine their "chirp rate" based on temperatures. Based upon his research, he published an article in in which he developed the following simple formula now known as Dolbear's Law :.

N is the number of chirps per minute. To estimate the temperature in degrees Celcius, count the number of cricket chirps heard in 25 seconds, divide by 3, then add 4. Note: Dolbear's law is best at estimating temperature when tree cricket chirps are used, when the temperature is between 55 and degrees Fahrenheit, and on summer evenings when crickets are best heard. Edited by Tiffany Means. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

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Investigate TV. Gray DC Bureau. Breakdown: How crickets can determine the temperature. By Nick Gunter. Published: Nov. Share on Facebook. Email This Link. Share on Twitter. Share on Pinterest. Share on LinkedIn.

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