On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 07:58:27 GMT, in message
, maxi wrote:

is it true that if you put water in a sink and pull the plug, the water
turns the oposite way as in the northern hemisphere?

we made a bet and would like to know the correct answer!

thx for the help.


The water turns clockwise here in the southern hemisphere[*].

Which way does the water turn in the northern hemisphere?
Clockwise or anticlockwise? Is it true that it turns the
opposite way as in the southern hemisphere?


[*] That's what the coriolis force wants it to do.
However, any existing currents in the water [â€*] will
almost always have a greater effect.

[â€*] Any existing currents great enough to cause the water to travel
around in the sink more than once every 24h x cosec(latitude)
will have a greater effect.

When you fill the sink, it will have small currents greater than
this. You'll have to wait a long time for the currents to stop.

When you put your hand in the water to grab the plug,
you'll create currents greater than this (and mess up the test).



--
Cheers,
Ralph

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-...ns.html#before