Coriolis effect and water experiment

[Rzbs]

Is the Uganda water experiment (that shows corilios effect on water drain) a scientific experiment or not?
I searched but I couldn't find a final answer to this question. There are two opposite opinions, which one is correct?
Or this argument is an open issue yet?
Thanks for your replies...

 

[PeroK]

Summary:: Is the Uganda water experiment a scientific experiment or not?

Is the Uganda water experiment (that shows corilios effect on water drain) a scientific experiment or not?
I searched but I couldn't find a final answer to this question. There are two opposite opinions, which one is correct?
Or this argument is an open issue yet?
Thanks for your replies...

https://thepointsguy.com/2017/07/travel-myths-backwards-water/

 

[PeroK]

And, this (see the Shapiro experiment):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_force#Draining_in_bathtubs_and_toilets

The other problem with the equator experiment is that the Coriolis force is not like a digital switch. It will be approximately zero near the equator. There would be no measurable effect on any experiment within a few metres of the equator.

 

[Rzbs]

Thanks, so the Uganda water experiment is only a trick and a show for absorbing tourists, yes?

 

[PeroK]

Thanks, so the Uganda water experiment is only a trick and a show for absorbing tourists, yes?

I guess so!

 

[haushofer]

On th back of an envelope: the Coriolis effect is maximum at the poles, zero at the equator. So take the sine of the longitude (=sin(44,9... degrees) of the amazed tourists, and multiply this with the ratio of the angular velocity w of the water (w=O(1)) turning w.r.t. the Earth's rotation (w=2pi/86400).

I'd guess that's one heck of a small number.

 

[haushofer]

During the world year of physics in 2005 I was assisting at a Foucault's pendulum hanging at our city's church, where Shell held a conference one day. An engineer told me he witnessed the Coriolis effect at the equator. I tried to convinced him he was scammed. He was reluctant.

That was the moment I started to doubt whether it would be a good idea to let Shell search for and suck up oil near the North Pole.

 

[Keith_McClary]

Shell

They paid dowsers to locate buried drainage tiles (so they would not be damaged by exploration activities).

 

[FactChecker]

There are Coriolis effects any time the angular rotation vector and the relative velocity vector relative to the rotating reference frame has a non-zero cross product. That can happen anywhere on earth. The position is not in the equation. It just may not be very apparent at the equator in certain experiments. It depends on the direction of the relative velocity vector.