poke it with your finger

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 15:17, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

right
so this fantastic scientific sounding thing is actually...

my own finger?

science is rubbish.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 15:19, Reply)

The Coriolis Effect is about the Earth revolving and having an effect on the inertia of stuff
I was being sarcastic above. It has bugger all to do with which way water goes in the sink. Things like the shape of the basin are far far more significant.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 15:31, Reply)

so you are saying
that the water stays still but the movement of the earth makes it look as if the water is moving?

even though the water clearly IS moving, downwards at least?
( rachelswipe with a fork, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 15:34, Reply)

I am not saying that at all
for a start: gravity

water comes out of tap and falls due to gravity, and water pressure. Direction of water around sink is dictated by angle of attack, shape of sink, that sort of thing.

The movement of the Earth has a very small effect on how it moves, but it really is very small indeed.

The Coriolis effect works on things like hurricanes, where you have a long lasting vortex of low pressure. Big storms go different directions in the Northern and Southern hemispheres
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 15:36, Reply)