Coriolis Force
an artifact of the earth's rotation
Once air has been set in motion by the
Pressure Gradient Force,
it undergoes an apparent
deflection from its path, as seen by an observer on the earth.
This apparent deflection is
called the Coriolis Force and is a result of the earth's rotation.
As air moves from high to
low pressure in the northern hemisphere,
it is deflected to the right by the coriolis force.
This is process further demonstrated by the animated examples below.
QuickTime (2.0M)
MPEG (2.1M) |
Real Life Example:
This movie of a ball rolling across the surface of a rotating merry-go-round
is a real life demonstration of the coriolis force.
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