I am not going to sleep :-( I need this physics question answered!?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rotorblade
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Rotorblade

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Okay in the Northern hemisphere water spins down the toilet clockwise, in the Southern hemisphere it spins down counterclockwise. I know this is called the Coriolis Force. I want to know if you are standing exactly in the middle of the Northern/Southern hemisphere; on the equator which way the water spins or does it?
 
The Coriolis force is very weak for a vortex in a sink or toilet anywhere on the globe but is much stronger for a very large diameter hurricane. A deliberate design or imperfection in a sink or toilet can cause a spin in the wrong direction and the influence of a rod spinning in the liquid can easily overcome the Coriolis force. At the equator the spin should be by pure chance (unless there is a defect or influence to settle the matter).
 
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