An instrument for measuring the speed of the wind or any other flowing fluid. The simple vane anemometer consists of a number of cups or blades attached to a central spindle so that the air, or other fluid, causes the spindle to rotate. The instrument is calibrated to give a wind speed directly from a dial. The instrument can be mounted to rotate about a vertical axis, and in this form it also gives an indication of the direction of the wind. A hot-wire anemometer consists of an electrically heated wire that is cooled by the flow of fluid passing round it. The faster the flow the lower the temperature of the wire and the lower its resistance. Thus the rate of flow can be calculated by measuring the resistance of the wire.