Re: [Phys-l] Coriolis effect

[John Denker <jsd@av8n.com>]

On 11/30/2011 10:57 AM, Anthony Lapinski wrote:

> hurricanes spin counterclockwise in
> the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.    [1]

Agreed.

> I know that the Earth spins eastward, which deflects winds to the west
> (clockwise) in the northern hemisphere and to the west (counterclockwise)
> in the southern hemisphere.           [2]

I wouldn't have said that.  The Coriolis deflection is not well
described as being "to the west" or "to the east".

  There's presumably a typo in statement [2], but I'm ignoring that.
  There are far more fundamental problems with statement [2].

A discussion of the Coriolis effect can be found at
  http://www.av8n.com/physics/rotating-frame.htm

It is worked out twice, once qualitatively and once quantitatively.

If that doesn't answer the question, please ask a more specific question.

========================

Beware that if you google for a qualitative explanation of the Coriolis
effect, most of what you find is wrong.  It's off by a factor of two.
It leaves out half of the physics (one half or the other).