BY SAMANTHA DARZA
what is the coriolis effect
Winds blow across the Earth from high-pressure to low-pressure systems. But, these winds don't travel in a straight line because the actual part of winds are partly the result of the Coriolis effect. This Coriolis effect results in fluids and objects moving in a curved path rather than a straight line, and the key to this lies in Earth's rotation. At the equator, Earth rotates faster than it does at the poles.
For example, if you were to be standing on the equator and you were trying to throw a ball in a straight line to your friend who happens to be in the middle of North America, the ball will appear to be on the right of your friend because he's moving around slower and has not caught up to you. But, if you were at the North Pole, the ball will be directly at him this time because he is moving faster than you are and is ahead of the ball. Basically, this means that at the equator, the rotation is much faster than at the poles. The deflection is the Coriolis effect. In the situation, the wind is the ball and in the Northern Hemisphere, it bends on the right, while in the Southern Hemisphere, winds bend on the left.
For example, if you were to be standing on the equator and you were trying to throw a ball in a straight line to your friend who happens to be in the middle of North America, the ball will appear to be on the right of your friend because he's moving around slower and has not caught up to you. But, if you were at the North Pole, the ball will be directly at him this time because he is moving faster than you are and is ahead of the ball. Basically, this means that at the equator, the rotation is much faster than at the poles. The deflection is the Coriolis effect. In the situation, the wind is the ball and in the Northern Hemisphere, it bends on the right, while in the Southern Hemisphere, winds bend on the left.
the influence of the coriolis effect
The Coriolis effect is capable of making on impact on everyday things, such as fast-moving objects like airplanes and rockets. It is important for a pilot to take the Earth's rotation into account when having flights over long distances. So most planes are not flown in a straight line, even if airports are directly across the continent from each other. For example, if a plane were trying to fly from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, the plane not be able to fly straight and directly land in Portland, Maine, even if they are fairly straight from each other. This is due to when flying east, it will seem to bend to the right in a southerly direction according to the Coriolis effect. If the Oregon pilot were to try to fly in a straight line, it would rather end up in New York or Pennsylvania.
That's why it's also important to calculate the Coriolis effect when it comes to military aircraft and missile-control technology. If they're not looking at the Coriolis effect, the target of an air raid might miss completely and innocent civilians and structures would be utterly destroyed. It has the capability to hurting thousands.
That's why it's also important to calculate the Coriolis effect when it comes to military aircraft and missile-control technology. If they're not looking at the Coriolis effect, the target of an air raid might miss completely and innocent civilians and structures would be utterly destroyed. It has the capability to hurting thousands.
coriolis effect on ocean currents
Earth's rotation has a significant impact on ocean currents. If Earth did not rotate, the air in the atmosphere would "circulate in a back-and-forth pattern in between the poles and equator". The direction of the surface currents would then be aligned with this wind pattern. But, since the Earth definitely does rotates, the air is deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Southern, the air is deflected to the left. They follow this curved path. Due to the global winds dragging on the water's surface and as the winds are being deflected, in the Northern, ocean currents are deflected to the right and the ocean currents are deflected to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. The ocean currents go along in a clockwise spiral in the Northern Hemisphere and go along in a counter-clockwise spiral in the Southern.
RESOURCES:
- "Coriolis Effect." - National Geographic Education. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
- "Currents." NOAA's National Ocean Service: Education: Professional Development: Tides and :.
National Ocean Service, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
PICTURES:
- Coriolis effect pic- http://www.theozonehole.com/coriolis.htm
- Red ball example- http://truthhunter1.blogspot.com/2014/03/heliocentric-theory-is-wrong.html
- Globe- http://www.infoplease.com/cig/weather/what-makes-weather-go-round.html