Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow from the Mount Washington Observatory, and this is The Weather Notebook. Over the past few days we've been giving out some answers that we've received from listeners that suggest ways you can use a barometer to determine the height of the Seattle Space Needle. One common way was to measure the barometric pressure differences between the bottom and the top of the structure, and therefore get the height. The other way was to use something called the "Law of Similar Triangles." But several listeners suggested something like this, they said "Why don't you just the barometer, call up a janitor at the Space Needle, and say, 'I'll send you this barometer if you tell me the height of the building.' " Well, that sounded like a great idea, so we tried it.

Operator: "Space Needle Information."

Dave: "Yes, could I speak to the janitor, please?"

Operator: "The janitor?"

Dave: "Yeah, or…"

Operator: "One moment, please."

(On-hold Muzak)

Operator: "Hello?"

Dave: "Hello?"

Operator: "One moment, sir."

(More Muzak)

Dave: "I don't think we're going to get the janitor, here."

Akiko: "This is Akiko."

Dave: "At the Space needle?"

Akiko: "Yes."

Dave: "Okay. I'm actually looking for-- or-- maybe I can ask you a question?"

Akiko: "Okay."

Dave: "Okay. Well I'm calling from New Hampshire, actually, calling from a radio program…"

Akiko: "Uh-huh."

Dave: "…and we've been told that you can measure the height of the Seattle Space Needle by using a barometer. And the one way that was suggested to us is that we call up somebody at the Space Needle and offer to give them a barometer if they tell us how high the building is."

Akiko: "Okay."

Dave: "Can you tell us how high it is? We'll send you a barometer if you do."

Akiko: "Ah, 605 feet."

Dave: "Six-hundred and five feet?"

Akiko: "Yes."

Dave: "Bingo!"

(Muzak)

Well, there you go, scientific inquiry at its finest, right here on the Weather Notebook. Special thanks today to Akiko Sakuri. Our show is underwritten by Subaru, the beauty of all-wheel drive, with funding provided by the National Science Foundation.