Uncovering the Mystery of Deeper Footprints in the Sand: East vs. West

[Baluncore]

Is it true, that when you walk towards the West through a sandy desert, your footprints are deeper on average than when you walk towards the East.

 

[phinds]

Is it true, that when you walk towards the West through a sandy desert, your footprints are deeper on average than when you walk towards the East.

I can't imagine why they would be? Where did you hear this?

 

[Simon Bridge]

Probably not to the accuracy that you can measure the depth of footprints in sand whose surface does not conform to the average curvature of the Earth anyway.

Similarly - water does not spiral a different way down the plughole in the north and south latitudes.. simply because there are so many different things that have a bigger contribution to the phenomena.

However, what you are talking about is the effect of being in a non-inertial frame: the Earth is spinning.
When you travel at a constant speed around the Earth, too, you are slightly changing direction according to the curvature of the Earth.

You want to look up the coriolis and centrifugal effects.

 

[AlephZero]

What simon bridge said, about the centrifugal effect. (I don't think the coriolis effect would make any difference to the question).

But it would be unmeasurably small. If you were traveling along the equator at about 1000 miles/hour, your effective weight would change by less than 1% depending whether you were going east or west.

 

[pmacias]

I would approach this claim by first considering the evidence and methodology used to come to this conclusion. Are there studies or experiments that support this claim? What factors were taken into account, such as the type of sand, the weight and gait of the individual walking, and the weather conditions?

Next, I would question the plausibility of this claim. Are there any known physical or geological reasons why walking towards the West would result in deeper footprints in the sand? Are there any other variables that could potentially affect the depth of footprints, such as the slope of the sand or the density of the sand particles?

Additionally, I would consider the possibility of bias in the data collection and analysis. Is there a potential cultural or societal influence that could have affected the results?

In order to truly uncover the mystery of deeper footprints in the sand, it would be necessary to conduct further research and experimentation using rigorous methods and controls. Without solid evidence and a thorough understanding of the underlying factors, it would be premature to conclude that walking towards the West in a sandy desert consistently results in deeper footprints.