Coriolis effect (noun, “Kor-ee-OHL-iss Eh-FEKT”)
The Coriolis effect causes airborne objects moving over the Earth to travel along curved paths rather than straight lines. This primarily affects objects that travel very quickly over long distances, such as air currents and airplanes. The paths these objects take through the air are curved by the Earth’s rotation.
When the Earth rotates, the ground near the equator moves faster than the ground near the poles. why? Think of it this way. Every place on Earth has to go around the Earth every day. The ground 1 meter (3.3 feet) from either the North or South Pole would have to complete a circle of just 6.3 meters (20.6 feet) every 24 hours. On the other hand, the ground near the Earth’s equator must rotate around the Earth every day. This means a distance of approximately 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) must be completed in 24 hours. Therefore, the ground near the Earth’s equator is moving much faster than the ground near the poles. The same goes for objects on earth, including us.
If a plane takes off from the equator and heads toward the North Pole, its speed, or speed in one direction, will be the same as the ground at the equator. When an airplane flies north, it continues to maintain its speed in the direction of the Earth’s rotation. This causes the plane’s path through the sky to curve, even though the plane is flying straight.
This type of curvature is the Coriolis effect. It is named after Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis. He is a French mathematician who first described this effect in his 1835.
The Coriolis effect doesn’t just affect how airplanes fly. It also influences weather patterns. One of the great consequences of the Coriolis effect is the rotation of tropical cyclones, such as hurricanes. These storms suck air towards them. But because of the Coriolis effect, that air doesn’t move straight toward the center of the storm. It curves around the storm, giving tropical cyclones their characteristic swirl.
in one sentence
The Coriolis effect does not only occur on Earth, but also affects winds on other planets such as Jupiter.
Check out the complete list of scientists say.
Source: www.snexplores.org
