Rotation and Poles: Water Draining Equator - True or Farce?

  • Thread starter Thread starter officer1032
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Poles Rotation
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the myth of water draining in different directions on either side of the equator due to the Coriolis effect. Participants agree that this phenomenon is largely a misconception, as the Coriolis forces are too weak to influence the direction of water drainage significantly. Instead, the direction of water flow is primarily determined by initial motion and disturbances during drainage. Additionally, the efficiency of engines or motors is not affected by the direction of the Coriolis effect. Overall, the consensus is that the idea of water draining differently at the equator is unfounded.
officer1032
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I have a question with rotation and the equator. The question is on the north and south sides of the equator water travels clockwise or counterclockwise when drained. Does this occures in the first place or is it a farce.
If this is true would engines or motors work more efficiently working in the direction of the pull. For instance the rotors on a helicopter would they be more efficient working in the direction of the pull ?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Welcome to PF.
According to any scientific tests that I know of, the effect is a myth. Coriolis forces aren't strong enough to affect something like that. Which way the water spins is determined by initial motion, along with what sort of disturbance occurs during the 'uncorking'.
 
officer1032 said:
The question is on the north and south sides of the equator water travels clockwise or counterclockwise when drained. Does this occures in the first place or is it a farce.
It's nonsense. Over the width of a water basin, the coriolis force is miniscule, easily swamped by other parameters. Read this: http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadCoriolis.html"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice link, Doc. Thanks.
 
Thanks for your info wasn't sure of the water flow issue.
 

Thread '1:1 versus 2:1 Mechanical Advantage debate'

The rope is tied into the person (the load of 200 pounds) and the rope goes up from the person to a fixed pulley and back down to his hands. He hauls the rope to suspend himself in the air. What is the mechanical advantage of the system? The person will indeed only have to lift half of his body weight (roughly 100 pounds) because he now lessened the load by that same amount. This APPEARS to be a 2:1 because he can hold himself with half the force, but my question is: is that mechanical...
View full post »

Thread 'Newton's first law?'

Some physics textbook writer told me that Newton's first law applies only on bodies that feel no interactions at all. He said that if a body is on rest or moves in constant velocity, there is no external force acting on it. But I have heard another form of the law that says the net force acting on a body must be zero. This means there is interactions involved after all. So which one is correct?
View full post »
Thread 'Beam on an inclined plane'

Thread 'Beam on an inclined plane'

Hello! I have a question regarding a beam on an inclined plane. I was considering a beam resting on two supports attached to an inclined plane. I was almost sure that the lower support must be more loaded. My imagination about this problem is shown in the picture below. Here is how I wrote the condition of equilibrium forces: $$ \begin{cases} F_{g\parallel}=F_{t1}+F_{t2}, \\ F_{g\perp}=F_{r1}+F_{r2} \end{cases}. $$ On the other hand...
View full post »

Similar threads

I How do I add "rotation" vectors (pseudo-vectors?)
Replies
9
Views
1K
Centrifugal Force Experienced at the Earth's North Pole
Replies
24
Views
4K
Why do hurricanes rotate counter-clockwise?
Replies
11
Views
3K
Increasing the output torque of a DC motor with gears
Replies
16
Views
4K
More rotating toilet bowl insanity
2
Replies
51
Views
5K
Helicopter Rotation, Torque and Angular Momentum
Replies
6
Views
10K
Helicopter Torque: Newton's 3rd Law & Pendulum Effect
Replies
18
Views
4K
I Coriolis acceleration of a projectile launched at the equator
Replies
4
Views
2K
Direction of rotation, brushless or brushed DC motor
Replies
2
Views
3K
Coriolis effect, Conservation of Angular Momentium, Planes
Replies
24
Views
5K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top