What does a flowmeter measure?

What does a flowmeter measure?

• A. River velocity
• B. Rainfall
• C. Water temperature
• D. River depth

Answer: (A)

A flowmeter measures the speed at which water is moving in a channel. This velocity is the key factor it records, and from it you can estimate how much water is passing a point over time (discharge) by multiplying velocity by the cross‑sectional area of the flow. The other options relate to different measurements: rainfall is kept track of with a rain gauge, water temperature with a thermometer, and river depth with a staff gauge or sounding line. So the flowmeter’s job is to quantify river velocity.

A flowmeter measures the speed at which water is moving in a channel. This velocity is the key factor it records, and from it you can estimate how much water is passing a point over time (discharge) by multiplying velocity by the cross‑sectional area of the flow. The other options relate to different measurements: rainfall is kept track of with a rain gauge, water temperature with a thermometer, and river depth with a staff gauge or sounding line. So the flowmeter’s job is to quantify river velocity.