The Coriolis force is a fictitious force observed in a rotating coordinate system, along with the centrifugal force and Euler effect. It affects objects on the Earth’s surface, causing them to veer right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere. The force is also observed in weather events and used as a plot device in The Simpsons. While it can affect the direction of water draining in a sink or toilet bowl, it is not the only factor. Insects like flies and moths use the Coriolis force for stability during flight.
The Coriolis force is a type of fictitious force imparted to a body moving in a rotational direction. Also referred to as the Coriolis effect, it is called a fictitious force because it does not, in fact, exert any real force by itself. Rather, it is a measurable output of a rotating object, a consequence of inertia, and is observed by measuring coordinates on a rotating coordinate system.
The Coriolis force is one of three forces that arise when Newton’s laws of motion, based on the idea that an observer is stationary, are translated onto a rotating frame of reference. The other two, also fictitious forces, are the centrifugal force and the Euler effect. The Coriolis force is evidently most evident when it comes to observing moving objects on the surface of the Earth, which is the largest rotating frame of reference most people are likely to ever encounter.
In the northern hemisphere of the planet, above the equator, moving objects on the surface can be observed veering to the right. In the Southern Hemisphere, objects veer to the left. Weather events, such as hurricanes, typhoons, and jet streams, are good examples of phenomena influenced by the Coriolis force.
The Coriolis force owes a certain degree of notoriety in popular culture to the television series The Simpsons. It was used as a plot device in the episode “Bart vs. Australia,” in which a debate between characters Bart and Lisa about how the water flows when the toilet is flushed triggers a collect call in Australia. Lisa explains that in the northern hemisphere, water always flows counterclockwise, due to the Coriolis effect. This prompts Bart to call the Southern Hemisphere to verify his claim, igniting a dispute with the Australian government.
Lisa’s statement, while not incorrect, is actually inaccurate. While the Coriolis force has been shown to impart an effect to bodies of water as small as a sink or toilet bowl, the direction the water drains in these cases has much more to do with the direction the water enters. in the bowl. Only after several hours of rest can the Coriolis effect overcome other forces, such as the slight current imparted by the positioning of the faucets.
In limited cases, the Coriolis effect is observable completely independently of the Earth as a frame of reference. Flies and moths, for example, harness the Coriolis force during flight, using special antennas, known as halteres, like gyroscopes. When the insect changes direction in flight or rotates on its axis, a Coriolis force develops on the vibrating halter, which the insect can sense and adapt to for stability.
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