Is the Coriolis Effect an Illusion in a Tossed Ball's Motion?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of the Coriolis effect as it relates to the motion of a tossed ball and the perception of motion in different frames of reference. Participants explore whether the curved path observed in a rotating frame is an illusion and how this concept applies to larger systems like hurricanes. The conversation includes theoretical considerations, conceptual clarifications, and personal reflections on reality and perception.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that in the ground frame, the ball travels in a straight line, while in the rotating frame, it appears to follow a curved path, suggesting that the curved motion is an illusion.
  • Others argue that the ball is moving inertially and feels no acceleration once released, indicating that the perception of curvature depends on the observer's frame of reference.
  • A later reply questions whether the winds also travel in a straight line, implying that circular motion may be an illusion from the rotating frame.
  • Some participants discuss the complexities of weather systems, noting that air interacts with itself and the Earth, complicating the analysis of motion in both inertial and rotating frames.
  • One participant describes the mechanics of hurricanes, explaining how the Coriolis force affects air movement in both frames, while another emphasizes that the rotation is real in both contexts.
  • There are personal reflections on the nature of reality and perception, with some expressing uncertainty about existence and the implications of different frames of reference.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the nature of motion and the Coriolis effect, with no consensus on whether the curved path is an illusion or a real effect. The discussion remains unresolved, with differing interpretations of the same phenomena.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the dependence on the chosen frame of reference and the implications of fictitious forces, indicating that the discussion is limited by the assumptions made about motion and reality.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring concepts in physics related to motion, reference frames, and the Coriolis effect, as well as individuals contemplating philosophical questions about perception and reality.

Aeronautic Freek
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Does ball (in video)when flying ,going in straight line or in curve line,so if I am inside this ball, will I feel like I am in car which accelarate in straight line or car which accelare in curve?
I think ball is going straight,curved path is just illusion..

 
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In the ground frame the ball is traveling in a straight line. In the rotating frame it's traveling in a curve.

It is moving inertially, yes. It feels no acceleration once the guy has let go of it.
 
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Ibix said:
It is moving inertially, yes. It feels no acceleration once the guy has let go of it.
So winds going in straight line so cirular motion is just illusion looking from rotating frame?
29210.jpg
 
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The weather is a more complex case than the ball. The air is interacting with itself and the Earth, not just flying through empty (or nearly empty) space. Thus there are a great many interaction forces in play and the air is not moving inertially.

This is just like your three (four?) threads on centrifugal force. The ball problem can be analysed in an inertial frame or in a rotating frame. If you do it in a rotating frame you need Coriolos force to explain the curved path of the ball. If you do it in an inertial frame the ball is moving in a straight line. Either way it's moving inertially.

Likewise with the weather, you can still analyse it either in an inertial frame where the Earth turns, or in a rotating frame where the Earth is stationary. Only in the latter case (which is the convenient approach for us, as we're sitting on the planet and rotating with it) will Coriolis force appear in the explanation.
 
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Aeronautic Freek said:
So winds going in straight line so cirular motion is just illusion looking from rotating frame?
When a hurricane rotates, that rotation is very real and occurs in both the inertial and rotating frames. One can think of it from the rotating frame as being due to the Coriolis force.

Let us consider a hurricane in the northern hemisphere.

From the rotating frame:

We have this stationary mass of air. In the center, air is forced upward due to its high temperature and high humidity and the adiabatic lapse rate and all that. The result is like a giant vacuum cleaner sucking air out of the middle. As the air moves toward the middle it is deflected rightward by the Coriolis force. The result is a counter-clockwise torque and a counter-clockwise circulation.

From the inertial frame:

We have this mass of air rotating counter-clockwise along with the surface of the earth. In the center, air is forced upward due to its high temperature and high humidity and the adiabatic lapse rate and all that. The result is like a giant vacuum cleaner sucking air out of the middle. Angular momentum is conserved. The air moving upward in the center carries very little angular momentum away. Air entering from the outskirts adds more. The mass of air in the middle must gain rotation rate as a result. So there is a counter-clockwise circulation. [Or think of it as a twirling skater pulling in her arms]
 
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jbriggs444 said:
When a hurricane rotates, that rotation is very real and occurs in both the inertial and rotating frames. One can think of it from the rotating frame as being due to the Coriolis force.

Let us consider a hurricane in the northern hemisphere.

From the rotating frame:

We have this stationary mass of air. In the center, air is forced upward due to its high temperature and high humidity and the adiabatic lapse rate and all that. The result is like a giant vacuum cleaner sucking air out of the middle. As the air moves toward the middle it is deflected rightward by the Coriolis force. The result is a counter-clockwise torque and a counter-clockwise circulation.

From the inertial frame:

We have this mass of air rotating counter-clockwise along with the surface of the earth. In the center, air is forced upward due to its high temperature and high humidity and the adiabatic lapse rate and all that. The result is like a giant vacuum cleaner sucking air out of the middle. Angular momentum is conserved. The air moving upward in the center carries very little angular momentum away. Air entering from the outskirts adds more. The mass of air in the middle must gain rotation rate as a result. So there is a counter-clockwise circulation. [Or think of it as a twirling skater pulling in her arms]
Ok thanks..
I just want to know if it really rotates or not,because of so much relativitiy from which point you look something and ficitive forces ,I don't know if I am really alive or just appers to me...🙃
 
Aeronautic Freek said:
I just want to know if it really rotates or not,because of so much relativitiy from which point you look something and ficitive forces ,I don't know if I am really alive or just appers to me...🙃
Different descriptions of the same thing. It "really" doesn't matter which you consider to be real. You are free to pick the description that is most convenient and use it.
 
Aeronautic Freek said:
I don't know if I am really alive

That's slightly alarming :wink:
 
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etotheipi said:
That's slightly alarming :wink:
Look,maybe from inertial frame I am not alive or just apper that I am on earth!
 

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